Key unionists back IRA arms move

Trimble: Faces fight to win old job back

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- A key pro-British party in Northern Ireland has approved its leader's acceptance of the IRA's decommissioning move.

The Ulster Unionist Party's ruling executive has also given its support to leader David Trimble's attempt to be re-elected as Northern Ireland's first minister.

Trimble quit the post, in protest at what he called the Irish Republican Army's refusal to disarm, triggering a crisis in the peace process that has seen the devolved assembly suspended twice.

On Tuesday -- two days before the UK government had to decide whether to call regional elections or return power to London -- the IRA announced it had begun decommissioning.

And Trimble, after receiving assurances from the independent body on decommissioning, said the move was historic for peace process.

MORE STORIES UK begins N.Ireland pullback    RESOURCES IRA statement

He then called Saturday's meeting of the 110-member executive and asked them to approve moves to rescue the assembly.

Their support now gives Trimble the chance to take up the first minister's post again.

The UUP leader needs the votes of 50 percent plus one of all the members in the chamber -- unionists and nationalists -- in a ballot next week.

The Ulster Unionists' ruling executive declared that all the party's 28 assembly members should support Trimble in a reinstatement vote scheduled for next week.

There are a total of 58 Protestant assembly members in the 108-seat chamber and Trimble needs 55 votes to be reinstated.

But with some unionist and loyalist members refusing to accept the IRA has gone far enough on decommissioning Trimble's return to office is not guaranteed.

Trimble insisted he would not be seeking other centre ground parties to re-align themselves as unionists in order to rescue the power sharing institutions.

He told the UK's Press Association news agency: "We are going into this hoping to be elected, expecting to be elected on unionist votes.

"The stakes are high. The margin I dare say might be narrow but it's been narrow before and in the famous words of Harold Wilson, `One vote is enough'."