STATE OF THE PARTIES

ON Wednesday, union-ists passed their verdict on the Belfast Agreement and massively rejected it as the way forward.

The DUP has now replaced the UUP as the largest party in the Province in terms of both seats and votes and around twice as many unionists voted for anti-Agreement candidates as voted for pro- Agreement candidates.

We won the election because people accept that our analysis has been vindicated and they feel betrayed by the UUP. Winning the election is only the start of the battle ahead. We will use our mandate to negotiate a better way forward for the people of Northern Ireland.

The Agreement failed because it lacked the support of a majority of unionists. What is needed now is a new agreement which both communities can support. The task now will be to create this new agreement which can deliver a fair deal for everyone.

We fought the election giving clear commitments and we intend to keep those promises. We have set out detailed policies documents: (1) on the fundamental flaws of the Belfast Agreement; (2) our vision for devolution; (3) the seven principles which will govern our negotiating stance; and (4) the seven tests against which the outcome of any negotiations can be tested.

We have made it clear that we need a settlement within the UK, not a process to a united Ireland. Unlike the Belfast Agreement, we need an agreement the terms of which are clear and easily understood and have the same meaning for everyone. The political realities are that trust is absent. Any arrangements must be grounded in this fact and not based on a level of trust which does not currently exist. We want to see a form of devolution which is stable, accountable, efficient and effective.

The Belfast Agreement manifestly failed in all these areas. Devolution must bring benefits to the people of Northern Ireland for it to be worthwhile. There is a tremendous oppor- tunity for Northern Ireland ahead. The result of the election on the unionist side does not spell an end to the hope of a settlement but the end of a path which was leading to disaster.

The DUP will work with the Government to establish structures capable of securing support from both sections of our divided society. No other agreement can bring stability nor would it last.

I hope nationalists can now drop the intransigent language and accept that stonewalling and opposing change will not meet the needs of the moment.

We are committed to working for a return to devolution but republicans need to know that for unionists no deal is better than a bad deal and that Direct Rule is more palatable to unionists than the Belfast Agreement.

The status quo is not an option. Despite the doom and gloom of the commentators who have supported the rejected UUP leader, David Trimble, over the past five years, we have reason to be optimistic.

The path ahead will not be easy but the prize of a peaceful and stable society within the UK is a challenge worth working for.

We will play a full part in building a new agreement. We shall do so in a responsible, imaginative and positive manner. We hope others will do the same.

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