Blair vows to get tough with paramilitaries as wave of street violence threatens peace

Tony Blair will urge paramilitaries on both sides of the divide in Northern Ireland to call a halt to the wave of street violence that has put the peace process in jeopardy.

On a visit to the province today, the Prime Minister will stress the Government will not "turn a blind eye" to the violence because it could jeopardise the Good Friday Agreement. The Government may consider suspending parties from holding posts in the Northern Ireland executive.

Mr Blair and Bertie Ahern, his Irish counterpart, will hold talks at Hillsborough Castle with the political parties who support the agreement in a new round of talks to get the process back on track.

Yesterday Mr Blair met David Trimble, Northern Ireland's First Minister, who later accused him in the Commons of being "remarkably passive" over the paramilitary violence. "Is it not about time for you to make sure your Government gets control of this situation in Belfast?" asked Mr Trimble.

The Ulster Unionist leader said: "How do you think that the inhabitants of Cluan Place in East Belfast where recently five people have been shot and wounded by republicans, where houses have been burned out, where the majority of people have been driven away in deliberate attacks, how do you think they will respond to this sort of passivity?"

Mr Blair replied: "I condemn utterly paramilitary violence whether it's from republicans or loyalists. I do not mean to be passive about it at all."

The Prime Minister said: "The reason I will engage in talks with people about how we make progress now is because it is not acceptable to be in a position where there is some halfway house, where paramilitaries of whatever description believe there is a tolerated level of violence. We must disabuse them of that belief and if that requires action, action there will be."

Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory leader, wrote to Mr Blair warning the upsurge in violence had cast doubt on the credibility of the ceasefires by paramilitary groups. He urged him to make no more concessions to Sinn Fein until it the IRA decommissioned its weapons.

Mr Blair replied it was understandable public tolerance with the "imperfections" of the ceasefires would diminish. "There needs to be clearer evidence that the transition away from paramilitarism is proceeding," he said.