A senior Ulster Unionist has called on the DUP leader to apologise over revelations about his party’s secret meetings with Sinn Féin around 20 years ago.
Former UUP leader Sir Reg Empey made the call in response to claims in the recently published book by former Methodist Church leader Rev Harold Good that he hosted discussions between DUP and Sinn Féin figures in his home in the years prior to the two parties’ historic agreement to enter powersharing together in 2007.
The DUP long insisted it had not sat down with Sinn Féin before March 2007, when then leaders Rev Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams and their respective delegations met shortly before the parties took on lead roles in a restored devolved executive at Stormont.
In his book, In Good Time, Rev Good recalled hosting secret meetings between Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Martin McGuinness in his home. He said Sammy Wilson also participated in some of the discussions.
Mr Wilson confirmed his participation on Tuesday, but he insisted the gatherings were not against the DUP’s publicly stated position.
He said while his party was opposed to negotiating with Sinn Féin in that period, he contended that the meetings facilitated by Rev Good did not constitute negotiations.
Sir Reg acknowledged that current DUP leader Gavin Robinson was too young to have been directly involved in the events of two decades ago, but he said he should still apologise on behalf of his party.
“He can tell us when he knew, and he could, if he so wished it, tell people that he deeply regrets that his party misled the electorate. So that’s something he could do,” he told BBC Radio Ulster’s Nolan Show.
He added: “At the end of the day, politics has to be based on honesty, and you can’t allow people to say one thing and do another. It just won’t work. So I would hope that we can get this all out into the open.”
Sir Reg accused the DUP of “deceiving” the electorate at a time when the party was heavily criticising his own party, and in particular its then leader, the late David Trimble, for engaging with Sinn Féin.
“I have no issue with Sammy Wilson meeting up with Sinn Féin, the issue I have is the fact that he’s trying to make a distinction between talking and scoping issues with Sinn Féin and negotiating with Sinn Féin,” he said.
“And it’s the fact that his party lied about the fact that they were doing this, that’s the issue for me.”
He added: “They had an election manifesto which they all stood on, which said they wouldn’t be negotiating with representatives of terror organisations, as they put it, so everybody who stood on that manifesto either if they knew these talks were going on, they allowed that lie to be perpetuated to the public, and if they didn’t, then fair enough, they can come out now and say that they didn’t know.”
Sir Reg said he did not believe that Sir Jeffrey and Mr Wilson were acting as “independent rogues behind the backs of their own party”.
The senior UUP member recalled the abuse aimed at his former leader, Lord Trimble.
“The abuse that David Trimble and others had to take at the time was very significant, and I believe history will be kind to him, because he made a major contribution to bringing our troubles to an end. And while it’s not perfect in Northern Ireland today, I thank God that there are so many people’s lives who’ve been spared,” he said.
He added: “Those days were very difficult, and we were hounded and abused and called for everything.”
The DUP has been approached for comment.
