Calm urged on eve of Drumcree march

Troops have set up a wire perimetre around parts of Drumcree

PORTADOWN, Northern Ireland -- Orangemen and their supporters have urged that this year's Drumcree march be allowed to pass off peacefully.

The appeal came on Saturday as unionists rebuked the Independent Parades Commission for its handling of the march.

As soldiers finished erecting a ring of steel blocking Orangemen from marching tomorrow on the nationalist Garvaghy Road, leading Orangeman Denis Watson and Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble accused the commission of treating compromise proposals put forward by the Order on Thursday with disdain.

The "Drumcree Sunday" parade by up to 2,000 members of the staunchly pro-British Orange Order is among the most contentious of the summer "marching season" held to commemorate ancient battlefield victories over Irish Catholics.

MORE STORIES Q&A: Tension at Drumcree

Watson, who is the County Armagh Grand Master of the Order and a Stormont Assembly member, claimed the commission had not given serious consideration to proposals aimed at resolving the dispute.

The Upper Bann MLA told the Press Association: "The Portadown District showed with these proposals it was prepared to go the extra mile but it would appear the commission members did not even read the contents of the 20-page document or they would have come back to them with questions.

"The commission really ought to reflect on how it handled things this year and what it is here for.

"A number of leading people in civic life gave their support to the proposals and I have no doubt if those names were ever released in public, people would be shocked to see who was involved."

Earlier, Trimble said he was "appalled" by the commission's handling of the document but wouldn't go into "the full story."

He hinted once the full story was known, it would raise "some searching questions about the way in which the Parades Commission has conducted itself, the confusing messages it has sent and its pre-emptory dismissal of proposals that it once canvassed at an earlier stage."

Army engineers spent Saturday erecting a huge steel and concrete barrier at Drumcree bridge to block the Orangemen from the Garvaghy Road.

Soldiers have also put barbed wire and razor wire in place, dug up fields adjacent to the barrier, and widened a water-filled ditch, transforming the area into a "No Man's Land."

Up to 1,600 additional troops have been put in place to cope with possible attempts by Orange supporters to gain access to the Garvaghy Road.

Orangemen have maintained a continuous protest on the hill at Drumcree since they were first successfully prevented from parading down the Garvaghy Road in 1998.

Catholic protesters were prevented from reaching another march last week

They insist they should be allowed to march along Garvaghy Road to return to their hall in Portadown after the Battle of the Somme commemoration service at Drumcree Parish Church.

But nationalist residents argue there must be face-to-face dialogue and local agreement before any march. They accuse the Order of being sectarian and triumphalist.

Orangemen will not take part in direct talks because they say the residents' groups are being orchestrated by Sinn Fein.

Portadown Orange spokesman David Jones has urged anyone planning to come to Drumcree to remain peaceful and dignified.

"Because of the overall political situation we are concerned that some people may attempt to hijack the protest," he said.

He said he could not predict how many people would turn up at Drumcree on Sunday.

"As far as we are concerned we will be having our church service and our parade afterwards. We don't know whether there will be 10,000 people there or 100. Our protest will continue," he said.