Direct rule from London on cards

By ANNE McHARDY Herald correspondent

BELFAST - The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, is to hold an urgent meeting today with the Northern Ireland First Minister, David Trimble, in the hope of rescuing the Belfast assembly from collapse in the wake of charges being brought against Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson of spying for the IRA.

A suspension of the power-sharing Government looks likely, with direct rule of Northern Ireland from London expected to be imposed by Blair within days.

"What has happened is 10 times worse than anything that happened in Watergate," Trimble said.

Yesterday, in a move that underlies the political catastrophe the charges have provoked, Hugh Orde, the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, apologised to the Speaker of the Stormont Assembly for the way his officers had raided the Sinn Fein offices inside the parliament buildings.

If the raids had not found significant material on which to bring charges Orde would have been forced into immediate resignation.

He said the raid was necessary but could have been carried out more sensitively.

Yesterday the security forces released more detail of what Donaldson is alleged to have done.

The security forces claim that lists were found in Donaldson's possession of Loyalist informers and of police officers, names the IRA might have used if it broke the ceasefire it has observed since 1996.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the documents included transcripts of telephone conversations between Blair and US President George Bush.

Documents taken included memos from Dr John Reid, the Northern Ireland Secretary, to intelligence chiefs and the Army commander in Northern Ireland.

Minutes of private meetings held by Blair with Trimble and Ian Paisley, the Democratic Unionist Party leader, were also taken. Donaldson has pleaded not guilty.

The Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams, has accused the police of harassment.