Belfast

CAMPAIGNING has already begun to win seats in Ulster's new power-sharing assembly.

Less than 24 hours after the historic declaration of 71% support in the province for the Good Friday agreement, one of its principal architects David Trimble had already started the battle to win round dissident unionists.

Mr Trimble said his focus until the poll in June would be to bring on board the 35% of unionists who voted No on Friday.

His comments were underlined by Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam, who urged voters to back only parties committed to the ''spirit'' of the agreement.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said his party would work with the authorities to begin the process of decommissioning, a crucial step in winning unionist confidence.

Ms Mowlam said: ''We had a vote for peace, we had a vote for non-violence, and if people are going to mirror that, they have to vote for people that will implement the spirit of that agreement and I hope that's the case in five weeks' time.

''There is no doubt that when you have had the biggest turnout you have had in living memory, you have had a three-to-one vote Yes for consent, for non-violence, this means there's a good basis to move forward on .''

In the coming weeks, she said, the Government would work hard to reassure unionists that the agreement should not be feared, principally by making good its commitments about the safeguards involved in the process.

Mr Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, claimed the 71% result announced on Saturday was conclusive enough to give the assembly and cross-border bodies a real chance of working.

However, some Unionist politicians, the most prominent of which are Democratic Unionist leader Ian Paisley and the UK Unionist Bob McCartney, have already pledged to stand for election intent on wrecking the assembly if selected.

Mr Trimble was undeterred. ''The important task now is to bring on board those who voted 'no' last Friday, and here I'm thinking of the 35% of unionists who voted 'no' ... many of them are good people, who are concerned and have been misled by the people who have been giving them a false account of this agreement and spreading so many scare stories around,'' he said.

He also urged IRA/Sinn Fein to demonstrate commitment to the peace process by starting to decommission in the short term. ''The time has come for Mr Adams to deliver.''

Mr Adams reiterated that he and his party were committed to working towards decommissioning of all weapons in Northern Ireland, but could not say when it would happen.

On BBC 1's On the Record, Mr Adams said: ''I want to see the war over.

''I intend to continue to use the influence I have on everyone who is prepared to listen to me.

''All the commitments which I have given, and the commitments I will give if we receive a mandate, I will honour, in terms of disarmament, in terms of using our influence, but also in terms of the equality agenda, of an end to discrimination, for a proper policing service.

''I can tell those unionists who voted Yes that we intend to keep our commitments and we intend to do our best to create a new democracy on this island with all the guns, all of the conflict, all of the atrocity, all of the semblance of violence removed and a normal society functioning on this island.''

However, Mr Adams linked progress on arms with agreement by Orangemen to show restraint during the forthcoming marching season, and to cancel the dozen or so flashpoint marches, such as on the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. He also called on nationalists to tolerate all the other parades.

He addressed Mr Trimble: ''You talk to me about decommissioning: talk to me about that after July 12. If these parades go ahead ... talk to me if the RUC hack their way down the Garvaghy Road.''

Orange Order grand secretary John McCrea rejected the call for the Order to abandon its most contentious marches en masse and held out little prospect of stopping the July 5 parade by the Drumcree Orangemen through the nationalist Garvaghy Road.

He told Radio 4's Westminster Hour it would be up to the organisers of each march to decide.

SDLP leader John Hume gave a less-than-enthusiastic reaction to a suggestion that his party might strike some kind of pact with Sinn Fein. ''The objective of this election isn't pacts between two parties on one side of the divide, the objective is a partnership between the representatives of all section of our community,'' said Mr Hume.

Deputy leader of the Ulster Unionists John Taylor said that in the election, which will use a transferable vote under a proportional representation system, voting would be on a more sophisticated basis than electors simply choosing candidates along sectarian lines.

''It won't be simply a sectarian vote any more. It will be people deciding who are the positive candidates and who are the negative candidates.

''Now obviously a nationalist will probably vote number one SDLP, but it could well be that those who begin number one with SDLP will end up also giving votes to the Alliance Party and the Ulster Unionists who are for the agreement,'' said Mr Taylor.

q Police condemned a bomb at a railway bridge in Northern Ireland as showing a ''callous disregard'' for the lives of people living nearby. The device exploded as it was examined by an Army expert using a remote-controlled robot.

The bomb was discovered under a bridge at Finaghy Railway Halt in a nationalist district of Belfast hours after the result of the referendum was announced.

Inside

True test for Trimble Page 8

A day like any other Page 9

Leader comment Page 12

Vote of conviction Page 13