Mitchell Takes the Helm at N. Ireland Peace Talks

American trouble-shooter George Mitchell took his post as chairman of historic Northern Ireland peace talks here Wednesday amid icy silence from Catholic paramilitary groups fighting for unification with Ireland and a civil war of words between pro-British Protestant groups.

Mitchell’s appointment in the small hours Wednesday after more than 15 hours of bitter wrangling left the two main unionist, or pro-British, parties bitterly divided and barely speaking.

The largest, the Ulster Unionist Party, under moderate David Trimble, supported a compromise that saved the conference by allowing delegates to derive rules under which Mitchell and two colleagues, Canadian Gen. John de Chastelain and former Finnish Prime Minister Harri Holkeri, will preside over various strands of the complex talks.

Seven of the nine parties at the talks accepted the compromise, which allows participants to renegotiate initial ground rules set down by Britain and Ireland.

The take-no-prisoners Democratic Unionist Party under hard-line preacher-politician Ian Paisley, as well as a small party allied with his, did not.

“I will dedicate my life to overturning the dastardly deed that was done last night,” Paisley thundered Wednesday.

Paisley fears that internationalization of the Northern Ireland issue will push the six-county British province closer to the Irish Republic.

Paisley opposes Mitchell as Washington’s man, believing that he is inclined toward the view of Irish nationalists. The former Democratic senator from Maine disputes that assessment.

“We assure you that we are motivated solely by a desire to be of help to you and to the people of Northern Ireland,” Mitchell said in a statement.

Paisley said he and other conservatives will boycott plenary sessions of talks chaired by Mitchell.

But Paisley will attend two key strands of talks, one between the British government and Northern Ireland parties to discuss internal affairs and a second headed by De Chastelain to discuss relations between Northern Ireland and the Irish government.