DUP Demands Apology From McAleese

The DUP has demanded an apology over Mary McAleese’s comments over a possible visit from the Queen.

In a statement given by the Irish Premier yesterday after a meeting with the Queen during her visit to Northern Ireland, Mrs McAleese said the Queen would not visit the Republic until the policing and justice powers were devolved to the Stormont Executive.

The DUP are presently stalling the devolution of these powers claiming there is “insufficient public confidence.”

Spokesman DUP MLA Stephen Moutray said: “Mary McAleese clearly just can’t help herself. It seems that almost every time she makes a comment about Northern Ireland she actively seeks to antagonise the Unionist population of the Province.

“The DUP is under no obligation to agree to the devolution of Policing and Justice Powers to Stormont and we have secured a triple lock on the devolution of these sensitive powers in the St. Andrews Agreement. “

“Sufficient public confidence does not exist in Northern Ireland, where Mary McAleese’s opinions matter not a jot, to allow devolution of Policing and Justice Powers to occur.”

On Wednesday after meeting the Queen, Mrs McAleese answered growing speculation that a visit to Dublin by the Queen was imminient. She said: "I think the day [of a visit] is significantly closer."

"We know that it is dependent on the completion of devolution, which hopefully will not be too far away. That means the return of policing and criminal justice responsibility to the Executive in Northern Ireland.”

The Queen has just completed her three-day visit to Northern Ireland.

(DW)