Missed opportunity to progress Peace Dividend
Sinn Féin Chief Negotiator Martin McGuinness MP MLA speaking after today's
meeting
of the Preparation for Government Committee has said that today's
meeting
was yet another missed opportunity to do real business.
Mr
McGuinness said:
"The committee meeting today could have done
meaningful and productive work
on securing a peace dividend. On Monday
the British Chancellor Gordon Brown
will visit Belfast. Sinn Fein
proposed that all of the parties present him
with a unified demand for
a significant peace dividend to address decades of
neglect and
underfunding. A significant peace dividend would benefit all our
people.
The DUP blocked this proposal and walked away from an opportunity to
make
real progress on securing a peace dividend.
It is increasingly
clear that the DUP are interested only in bullying the
British
Secretary of State and the other parties into allow pointless
debates
in a powerless Assembly. Sinn Fein, however, will not be bullied by
the
DUP. " ENDS