Robinson and UVF meet in peace talks

Published Thursday, 23 June 2011
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First Minister Peter Robinson has met UVF leaders as part of talks to maintain the uneasy peace on the streets of east Belfast, while local residents hold a heated meeting with their politicians.

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    Analysis

It comes in the wake of riots in the Short Strand and lower Newtownards Road areas overnight on Monday and Tuesday, followed by quiet on Wednesday.

Intensive talks held between nationalist and loyalist leaders are believed to have kept the peace, with a further day of meetings taking place on Thursday to try and sustain it.

These are understood to have involved face-to-face talks between Peter Robinson and senior members of the UVF, the paramilitary organisation which police say orchestrated the trouble.

Another meeting, which took place later between unionist residents and community leaders at the Ballymac Centre off the Newtownards Road, was a heated affair.

Around 100 people from the area outlined their grievances to a panel representing the main political parties, saying they feel abandoned and let down.

"What the people here need to see is action, not words," youth Leader Alfie McCrory told UTV.

"We need to be seeing action in the next couple of weeks because the longer this goes on the papers will be lost and we'll still be in this position six months down the line."

Social Development Minister and local MLA Nelson McCausland was one of the representatives there. He said that working through the issues will take a longer term approach.

"There are issues about dialogue and getting a better understanding between communities but those are longer term issues," Mr McCausland told UTV.

"The problems must be grasped now and quickly to ensure the safety of citizens. There was conversation and suggestions for practical measures tonight, but those are short term - the other is a longer term process."

Meanwhile in the Short Strand, one community worker said decades of work that has gone into ending sectarianism and building friendships across the peace line won't go to waste.

"Relations that had been put in place can be resurrected - they won't just go away," Bernie McConnell told UTV.

"People have been working in the communities for up to 30 years together, and while we saw strong violence they aren't going to be hard to get back together."

PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott said Northern Ireland's peace took "two steps forward and one step back" in the wake of what has been called some of the worst rioting in Belfast in a decade.

Bottles, bricks and petrol bombs were thrown, and a number of gunshots fired, as the loyalist and nationalist communities clashed at the east city interface over two nights.

A photographer was amongst those taken to hospital for treatment on injuries, and two suspects are still being held in police custody in connection with the trouble.

"It's a wake-up call to us all to redouble our efforts to make sure we do make Northern Ireland the safer and prosperous place that everyone wants," Matt Baggott said.

The Office of the First and Deputy First Minister on Wednesday appointed a senior civil servant to work with loyalist and republican communities to try and curtail the problem.

"Where there are genuine concerns, we want to help," DUP leader Peter Robinson said.

"We represent this whole community, we care about this whole community, and we want to hear what this community has to say and this is the job we will continue to pursue."

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said: "We are very determined to lead the charge against the force of destruction.

"I am very heartened by the fact that the forces of positivity and constructiveness are clearly there in every section of our community - and that they will work with us to ensure that we hopefully never see a repeat of these unacceptable scenes again."

Wednesday night saw a lull in the street violence, with only minor incidents of stone throwing and taunting occurring as police kept hundred strong gangs of loyalists and nationalists apart.

The stand-off lasted for several hours, with officers and marshals working to keep the area calm.

Police and stewards returned to the streets on Thursday but no fresh disturbances have been reported.

© UTV News
Comments Comments
41 Comments
Mark in Belfast wrote (335 days ago):
Regardless of who started what - neither side had any cause or justification for attacking the police who entered the area to end the trouble. Both sides should be shamed by the pictures shown, rather than pointing fingers at each other.
Jackie in Belfast wrote (335 days ago):
Don you are absolutely right - violence does pay look where Martin,Gerry,Mary,Carol etc etc are today.
Andy C in West Belfast wrote (335 days ago):
Alot of the news saying the UVF started this trouble. What i cant understand is if you watch then news footage, all the petrol bombs where coming from the Short Strand side and even worse from in the grounds of their chapel. Now, was the petrol bombs just happen to be there, was the gun men just happen to be there and why is the priest not saying on tv its an outrage that youths used a place of god to riot. All the stories are about how UVF started this, well if they did, shame on them, let the police sort them, but what about the 3 people shot by a gunman from the Short Strand. The Belfast Lord mayor is from this area and he didn't condem the shooting by his own people, what sort of exsample is that for peace. I say let the police have more power to stop all these attacks and arrest those behind it.
BIG ERNEST AKA THE MAD MONK in EAAST ANTRIM wrote (335 days ago):
GERARD , right on the money , the dup do the same too , they show up pre election time in working class area's and state they will do this and that , none better than sammy wilson , he is my MP and MLA yet i nor any voters ever see him except when he is looking votes and the closest advice centre for him is 6 miles away .
joe in belfast wrote (335 days ago):
Don wrote: Violence seems to pay... of course it does Don, just look at stormont for proof....
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