Sinn Fein backs N. Irish police in historic vote

Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein voted to end decades of opposition to Northern Ireland's police force yesterday, removing a main obstacle to the restoration of a regional power-sharing government in the British province.

The party, political ally of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) which killed nearly 300 police officers during a 30-year campaign against British rule, voted overwhelmingly at a special meeting in Dublin to back the Protestant-dominated force.

The vote, a momentous step for Sinn Fein, could end stalemate in Northern Ireland after the suspension in 2002 of a power-sharing assembly between majority pro-British Protestants and a Catholic minority who want a united Ireland.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, both of whom have invested huge political capital in seeking a lasting settlement in Northern Ireland, hailed the vote as a major step forward. The province's biggest pro-British Protestant grouping, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), has made backing the rule of law essential before it will consider sharing power in a Belfast-based assembly set up under a 1998 peace deal.

"The decision we have taken today is truly historic," Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said at the end of the conference, which was attended by more than 2,000 delegates. "You have created the opportunity to significantly advance our struggle - it's now up to you," he told the gathering.

Sinn Fein's predominantly Catholic support base has long viewed the province's justice system as favouring Protestants.

No one from the DUP was immediately available to comment but the party has repeatedly said it will wait to see proof of Sinn Fein's commitment before making any final decisions. Mr Blair and Mr Ahern will meet in London tomorrow "to discuss matters requiring final resolution", an Irish government spokesman said.

More than 3,600 people were killed in Northern Ireland's conflict, with the IRA responsible for nearly half the deaths.

Violence has subsided over the past decade and the province is enjoying increased prosperity, but the two communities remain deeply divided and political cooperation has proved difficult.

There had been speculation that a report earlier this week detailing collusion between senior Northern Ireland police officers and Protestant killers could stiffened resistance among hardliners but the Sinn Fein leadership held up the revelations as further reason to become involved in law and order.