Deadline looms for N.Ireland plan

Adams and Sinn Fein members met to discuss the plan on Saturday

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- All sides involved in the deadlocked Northern Ireland peace process have until the end of Monday to accept new proposals.

The plan published last week by the UK and Irish governments includes reforms of the Northern Ireland police service, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, a reduction in the number of troops in the area and the decommissioning of terrorists weapons.

David Trimble, leader of the Protestant Ulster Unionists says the plan can only be accepted if the Irish Republican Army starts handing over arms.

Sinn Fein, the republican political party, has rejected the deadline set by the two governments saying it needs more time and more details on the proposals.

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A senior delegation of Sinn Fein members met on Saturday with the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, John Reid, to discuss the package, telling him that Monday is too early for them to commit to the plan.

Ulster Unionists have indicated that they cannot respond to the proposals before Tuesday at the earliest. The Protestant party will discuss the plan in meetings Monday night and Tuesday.

The package of proposals was presented on Wednesday by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern.

It contains measures aimed at saving the peace process in Northern Ireland, concentrating on issues like demilitarisation, policing, decommissioning and local government in Belfast.

Attempts to push the 1998 Good Friday Agreement along have been stalled over lack of progress in IRA disarmament, policing reforms and calls for a cut in the number of troops stationed in Northern Ireland.

The British and Irish governments asked the parties to respond to the package by Monday, but the parties said on Saturday that is not enough time for their members to consider the proposals and respond.

In particular, Sinn Fein wants more details on the issue of reforming the police force, which is 95 percent Protestant. The members said they would have no response on the package for "some time."

"People who say this is a 'take it or leave it' document, that there's a Monday deadline -- that's all silly nonsense," said Sinn Fein spokesman Alex Maskey, one of the delegation meeting at Hillsborough Castle.

He added: "As far as we are concerned there is no deadline in this matter other than the imperative of getting the Good Friday Agreement implemented."

The Ulster Unionists have said they want the issue of decommissioning addressed before they will consider signing on to the package.

However, outspoken UUP MP David Burnside said he expected the plan to be rejected.

The South Antrim MP, who has already withdrawn his support for the agreement, said: "The package is being used by the republican movement to extract more concessions on policing."

Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid met with Sinn Fein members Saturday

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster he added: "I will not take tokenism or gestures and I do not believe that the Ulster Unionist Party will over the next week."

Meanwhile Mark Durkan of John Hume's Social Democratic and Labour Party said the party had not yet made up its mind.

The current crisis in the peace process was triggered by the resignation of Trimble as first minister in the Northern Ireland power-sharing assembly over lack of progress in IRA disarmament.

London and Dublin have until August 12 to secure an agreement if the Belfast administration is to be saved in its present form, with no direct rule from London.