No regrets over GoodFridayAgreement support, even though it split party, former uuponline leader Lord Empey says:
Lord Empey says the agreement saved lives, and that was more important than votes for a political partyFormer Ulster Unionist Party leader Lord Empey has said even though the Good Friday Agreement split his party, he does not regret supporting the deal.
Lord Empey was one of the main negotiators for the UUP, often leading the delegation at Stormont when David Trimble and other MPs were at Westminster. They also criticised moves to reform policing and they wanted a clear provision that Sinn Féin would be prevented from holding ministerial positions until the IRA decommissioned its weapons.
"David stood up either on a chair or a desk so that he could be seen in the room… he said anybody who wished to join was welcome to do so," Lord Empey said."My only regret is that it was unfortunate that all of unionism didn't stay in [the negotiations] because if that had happened, we could have done even better, bearing in mind that roughly 45% of unionism was out of the room," he added.
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