The First and Deputy First Ministers have played down speculation about any imminent threat to the Belfast Agreement or to Mr David Trimble's leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party.
Mr Trimble and Mr Seamus Mallon also reaffirmed their commitment to the Good Friday agreement. Both men appeared together at a press conference at Stormont yesterday, with Mr Trimble conceding there were difficulties but would not elaborate on his comments in Brighton on Monday that the agreement was in danger of collapse.
"I am not going to allow myself be panicked by the flood of speculation which I see in the press in the past day or two," said Mr Trimble. "All these talks about what some people might do in some future date is of course pure speculation, and I don't propose to waste my time chasing my tail over this."
On Patten, Mr Mallon strongly indicated there would be no change in the SDLP position. When asked if he was sensitive to the difficulties facing Mr Trimble, Mr Mallon replied, "I want to be sensitive to the entire community."
Mr Trimble was reluctant to answer questions about his concerns over the Belfast Agreement arising from Patten and the absence of an IRA move on arms. "Look, let's not run around stating the obvious about matters which are not the subject of this press conference," he said.
Neither would Mr Trimble comment on press reports that his working relationship with Mr Mallon was difficult. Both men gave the impression of at least enjoying a professional working relationship.
Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon said yesterday's Executive meeting covered issues such as the 11-Plus exam, training and employment, rural development, Irish and Ulster Scots, the North-South Ministerial Council and the British-Irish Council. Meanwhile, Mr Dermot Nesbitt, a junior minister in the Northern administration, last night warned that without decommissioning, the implementation of the Belfast Agreement could not be continued.
Mr Nesbitt told a meeting of the Ulster Unionist think-tank Re:Union in Fivemiletown, Co Tyrone: "The Ulster Unionist Party has done every single thing required of it to ensure the agreement is implemented in full. Yet it must be remembered that the agreement is a two-way process. It cannot continue to be implemented in the absence of decommissioning."
