Transcript of an interview with Jeffrey Donaldson, UUP MP for Lagan Valley, by David Frost for BBC Breakfast with Frost on 21 May 2000. On 6 May the Provisional IRA issued a statement that it was ready to begin a process of completely and verifiably putting its arms beyond use. This was met with both cautious optimism and scepticism within unionism. Donaldson discusses the unsatisfactory proposal of a return to devolved government in Northern Ireland without prior decommissioning. Power was restored to the Northern Executive on 29 May two days after the UUP supported David Trimble's decision to return to government without initial decommissioning. Breakfast with Frost was a weekly BBC current affairs programme.
Date of Release/Broadcast: 21 May 2000
Name of First Interviewee: Jeffrey Donaldson
Role at time of Interview: UUP MP for Lagan Valley
Interviewer: David Frost
Purpose: News
Media: Transcript
Copyright: © BBC Breakfast with Frost
Link: Read the transcript
Programme/Book/Article: BBC Breakfast with Frost
Time Period covered: 2000
Key Individuals: Jeffrey Donaldson, David Trimble, John de Chastelain, Cyril Ramaphosa, Martti Ahtisaari, Sean Kelly, Martin McGuinness
Key Words: UUP, Sinn Féin, IRA, decommissioning, suspension of devolution, demilitarisation, partition, prisoner, paramilitary