THE Democratic Unionist Party leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, roused delegates with a typically uncompromising speech in which he accused the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, of surrendering to the IRA.
Dr Paisley was critical of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Mr David Trimble, and all other UUP leaders since Lord O'Neill. He claimed the talks chairman, Mr George Mitchell, was "no friend of Ulster" and was scathing in his dismissal of the loyalist fringe parties.
Dublin, the Tanaiste ("Spring Dicky"), the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, the North's Political Development Minister, Mr Michael Ancram - a Catholic who was anti Protestant, according to Dr Paisley - also came in for a tongue lashing.
He repeated his warnings of the threat to the Union and declared "Ulster is not selling out to the IRA. Ulster is not going down the Dublin road, not an inch. And no surrender."
Dr Paisley said that Mr Major was making concession after concession to the IRA and this was evident in his published answer last week to the Hume/Adams proposals aimed at bringing Sinn Fein to all party talks and securing a restoration of the IRA ceasefire.
These concessions included: the renegotiation of the Union; a British government preparedness to meet Sinn Fein and the IRA; an agreed time frame for talks; and an invitation to Sinn Fein to join the talks.
The DUP leader also condemned the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Bill, published last Friday, which, he said, allowed paramilitaries a weapons amnesty in the North but not in Britain.
Dr Paisley said when it came to issues crucial to the Union Mr Trimble was always "on the wrong side". And he was again "on the wrong side" in his willingness to accept Mr Major's response which was tantamount to allowing Sinn Fein into talks without decommissioning.
Equally he was wrong to accept Senator Mitchell, "an envoy of the Kennedys", as talks chairman. "I don't trust Mr Mitchell, nor I don't trust Bill Clinton either", he said.
Dr Paisley claimed that Mr Trimble and "the Roman Catholic Ancram" were mainly behind the failed attempt to have his name removed from the ballot papers for the Forum election. "That brought out the anti Protestantism in the blood of Ancram and the anti Democratic Unionism that is in the blood of Mr Trimble and his parliamentary colleagues."
He accused Mr Trimble of opposing attempts by the DUP and the UK Unionist leader, Mr Robert McCartney, to unite unionism.
"Mr Major has gone back on his undertakings over and over again. His word is not his determined bond, it is rather his disposable baggage", he added.
"Mr Major is in the surrendering business to the IRA and its bedfellows, John Hume, Dublin and the White House. Mr Major is in the capitulating business to the IRA. Mr Major is in the concession business to the IRA. Mr Major is in the deceiving business with the IRA. Mr Major is in the sell out business to the IRA.
"We are determined to have no truck with the IRA whatsoever or with any other murdering gunmen.
Dr Paisley warned that the DUP would have no hesitation in using, if necessary, its three Westminster votes to put the "abominable" Major government out of office.
And while a split unionist vote could pave the way for an SDLP or Sinn Fein MP in North Belfast Dr Paisley signalled in his speech that the DUP may contest the constituency where the sitting MP is Mr Cecil Walker of the UUP.
"We look forward to the return of North Belfast," he told the delegates to loud cheers. (Mr Nigel Dodds who topped the poll for the DUP in the Forum election said no official decision has yet been taken on the matter.)
Recently loyalist graffiti were daubed on a Free Presbyterian church, claiming that Dr Paisley was "no Carson", which was the trigger for the DUP leader to be particularly scorching in his criticism of the loyalist fringe parties.
He referred to the atrocities carried out by loyalist paramilitaries. Are those in the succession of our founding fathers? Never, never, and I disown them, and the people of Northern Ireland disown them ... I will not be associated with that crowd."
Concluding his address Dr Paisley stated: "We will never give up, and we will never give in. We are not going away, Mr Major. We will be here when you are forgotten. We are here to stay. Paddy Mayhew and secretaries of state come and go, but Ulster marches on.
"The best day is coming for our province. And on that day the Orangemen will march, and they'll march in freedom and everyone that respects the law will enjoy the ethos of true Protestantism - every man equal under the law, and everyone equally subject to the law. That is our constitution.
"We swear it again publicly that we will never give up until we win this war, and defeat our traditional enemies."
