This is the draft summary record of an opening plenary session on Tuesday 4 February 1997 at 12.12. The Chairman announced his intention to take stock of the situation and outline a way forward to plenary in a week's time and invited comment on it. The DUP were frustrated about their lack of access to documents tabled during bilateral meetings. It also wished to make complaints to Dick Spring and George Mitchell, neither of whom were present. The British Government regretted the lack of convergence on decommissioning but stressed that this process was the only route to political change. The Irish Government shared the frustration at lack of progress and supported the Chairman's proposal for an intervention. Alliance agreed and criticised a 'pre-election paralysis'. It also expressed frustration with the position of the UKUP and the DUP, suggesting they were refusing to be briefed. Labour condemned recent PIRA violence and supported the Chairman's proposition. The NIWC found the briefing meetings useful and supported the Chairman's proposal. The PUP agreed. The SDLP heavily criticized the position of the British Government which it saw as putting off progress until after the election. The UUP was open to the Chairman's proposal. The DUP continued to want access to the document and agreed with the other Northern Ireland parties that a suspension of talks would not be a good idea. The UKUP criticized the peace process. The SDLP and the UKUP argued over a failure between them to arrange a meeting. The UKUP opposed the Chairman's proposal. Discussion continued to focus on availability of trilateral information to other participants.
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