THE two main unionist parties expressed concern at the Mitchell Commission's recommendation on decommissioning, although they welcomed the six requirements for all parties to affirm their commitment to democracy and non violence.
Later yesterday, they derived particular satisfaction from Mr John Major's suggestion of a new elected body, which they seemed to view as outweighing any disadvantages in the commission's report.
The Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, in his initial response yesterday morning, said he saw nothing substantive in the Mitchell Commission's report that would move the parties towards a political settlement. The only way he could see progress on talks being made in advance of decommissioning was through an elected body.
"We don't see any progress on substantive negotiations without their being agreement on the issue of decommissioning," he added.
Mr Trimble said his first reaction to the report was that "nothing had changed" that the decommissioning impasse remained in place. He did, however, concede that his party was "comfortable" with the six nonviolent principles as outlined in the commission document.
"We want to see whether in the words of this report those principles will be accepted by other parties, and whether they will be committed to them, and honour them, before, during and after talks."
After the British Prime Minister yesterday announced his likely intention to call elections to a new body, Mr Trimble suggested that they be held in April or May.
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, described the report as a "farce, fudge and falsehood". Its conclusion that it was not practical to ask the paramilitaries to give up their weapons was playing into the hands of Sinn Fein and the IRA.
"Talks cannot be held if one party is literally holding the gun to the heads of the other parties," he said. "No unionist of any worth would sit down at a table with IRA/Sinn Fein on the basis of Mitchell's report," Dr Paisley added.
Mr Ken Maginnis, the UUP security spokesman, described the report as very positive. The party was particularly impressed with the six principles, he said. While he would have liked to have seen a demand for the prior handing over of arms, the report was nonetheless demanding a total and absolute commitment to disarmament and an exclusive commitment to democratic and wholly peaceful means of resolving political issues.
In his initial response, Mr Peter Robinson, the DUP deputy leader, described the report as a fudge. It had failed to demand one bullet or one ounce of Semtex. "There is a moral absurdity in throwing out what is right and proper to do in favour of what they believe terrorists are prepared to do," he said.
Later however, when Mr Major announced his intention of calling an election to an elected assembly, Mr Robinson moderated his comments. He said his party would have no difficulty signing up to the six principles requiring a commitment to non violence and democracy, as outlined in the report.
Mr David Adams of the Ulster Democratic Party, the political wing of the UDA, described the report as a "genuine and non partisan attempt to find a way forward". It was sensible that decommissioning be dealt with in all party talks, he said.
The UDP would have no problem in agreeing to make the commitment to democracy and nonviolence, he added.
Mr David Ervine, the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party the political wing of the UVF said the report was "a genuine attempt to deal with a complex issue".
He said that no one would get everything they wanted in any report, but the ordinary people of Northern Ireland wanted to move the political situation forward.
