THE DUP is to ask the Sinn Féin chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh council to stand down over comments he made about the Enniskillen bombing.
Chairman Stephen McCann said earlier this month he would not "go down the road of condemning" the 1987 IRA bombing which killed 11 people at a Remembrance Day commemoration in the Co Fermanagh town.
During the same interview with the Impartial Reporter he also praised IRA man Seamus McElwaine, who was shot dead by the SAS in 1986.
On Thursday night, SDLP, Ulster Unionist and DUP councillors walked out of a council meeting in protest after Mr McCann refused to apologise for his remarks.
DUP councillor Keith Elliott said he and party colleagues met yesterday and agreed to ask Mr McCann to resign his position.
"His comments have led us to this decision," he said. "We feel that as first citizen of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council he should be impartial. Unfortunately his comments showed that is not the case."
Mr Elliott said Mr McCann's remarks had caused "great hurt" in the area.
He said he did not believe Mr McCann would be welcome at any commemorations to mark the 30th anniversary of the bombing in November.
"The fact that nationalists also walked out shows the depth of anger there has been," he said.
The council is in recess and will not meet again until September. Mr Elliott said the DUP will decide next week how it will formally ask Mr McCann to stand down.
SDLP councillor Mary Garrity said her party was "completely horrified by the interview".
"We have been contacted by people who support us who were very hurt," she said.
Ms Garrity, who was chairman of the council until June, said Mr McCann's remarks reflected badly on his position.
"It's sad that in this day and age that we have a first citizen who's not representing the whole area," she said.
She said she and her colleagues felt they had no choice but to walk out.
Ulster Unionist councillor Howard Thornton said Mr McCann's refusal to apologise was "frankly perverse and clearly unbefitting of someone who is supposed to be the First Citizen of our local district".
According to the Impartial Reporter, Mr McCann read from a statement at the end of Thursday night's meeting.
"I do acknowledge that there has been hurt and loss on all sides of the conflict and I do not want to diminish the sense of hurt and loss on any side," he said.
He added: "I want to take the opportunity to reaffirm that I will do my utmost to be impartial in my duties as chairman going forward and I will continue to be a chair for all".
