Drumcree: Two deals discussed before parade ban, says Bryant The decision followed a warning from the chief constable that allowing the procession to go ahead could lead to serious injury, disorder and wider unrest across Northern Ireland.

By Mark Simpson, Ben Lonsdale The Northern Ireland Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant has said his decision to ban the Orange Order's Drumcree march was in the best interests of peace.

He announced the decision on Friday after an agreement couldn't be reached between the Portadown District Lodge and the Garvaghy Road residents.

The dispute led to a stand-off between Orangemen and nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road in Portadown lasting almost two weeks. What is the Garvaghy Road dispute all about?

Speaking to BBC News NI, Sir Chris defended his decision after it was put to him that unionists believed it had undermined the rule of law.

"It's my job to try and make sure that we have a peaceful set of outcomes in Northern Ireland," he said. "I didn't come to this decision lightly." He appealed for a lowering of political tensions.

"I really would urge everybody to stand down any rallies or gatherings that there may be. Nobody wants to wind this up any further. "There's been, I would argue, too much winding up already over the last couple of weeks. "It's easy to stir up a sectarian grievance, much more difficult to calm it down.

"But we will need to look at the long term establishment of trust ." Sir Chris also outlined two possible compromises that had been discussed in an attempt to resolve the dispute.

One proposed compromise, he said, would have allowed the Orangemen to complete one final march along the Garvaghy Road, on the condition it would not apply to march the route again.

The other would have seen the group accept that it had won the right to march, but agree not to exercise that right.

Sir Chris said he believed an agreement had been close, but talks between the lodge and residents ultimately failed.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he defended his decision to stop the parade, saying he could not see how the procession could safely take place.

He also said Stormont's power-sharing institutions had proved more resilient than expected, despite concerns the dispute could lead to the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive.

The stalemate has reopened what was once one of the most bitter parading dispute in Northern Ireland, with stand-offs in the mid-to-late 1990s accompanied by riots, roadblocks and killings.

For decades, the situation at Drumcree has settled into a relatively minor stand-off that no longer made headlines, however that changed when the Parades Commission ruled that the march, on Sunday 27 September, could go ahead with restrictions in place.

That parade did not happen and, after a series of talks between residents and Orangemen, the secretary of state has banned the procession. 'Very close to an agreement' Sir Chris said he had spent the last fortnight trying to reach a resolution between Garvaghy Road residents and the Portadown District Lodge, holding a series of negotiations at Hillsborough Castle.

"I thought we were very close to an agreement, but unfortunately that was tantalisingly difficult to achieve." He explained that two possible compromises had been considered.

"One was what people called one done and dusted. In other words, they would do one march and never apply again."

"And another version was that they would accept that they had won the right, but they wouldn't exercise that right." Sir Chris said neither proposal had secured agreement from both sides.

He said the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher had written to him requesting intervention under the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998.

"But it seemed to me that the real threat was, precisely as the chief constable had outlined, I couldn't see how the procession could take place." Sir Chris also said he believed the original determination by the Parades Commission to allow the march had been "legitimate". 'Not the easiest gig' Asked what he had learned from the dispute during his time as Northern Ireland Secretary, Sir Chris said: "It's not the easiest gig in the world." He said he had encountered people willing to compromise, but others who found it more difficult.

"And I've learned that there are a lot of people of good will who want to make compromise. And there are some people who find compromise much more difficult." Sir Chris said there had been concerns that the dispute could lead to the collapse of Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive. However, he said the institutions had remained in place despite the tensions.

"The institutions of the Good Friday Agreement are probably more resilient than people think." What is the Drumcree dispute?

Drumcree was one of Northern Ireland's most serious parading disputes, when stand-offs in the mid-to-late 1990s over attempts by the Orange Order to march along the Garvaghy Road were accompanied by riots, roadblocks and killings.

When the Orange Order was prevented by police from walking down the route in July 1995, there was a tense stand-off. It was the same for the next three years.

The Parades Commission began operating in 1998 to regulate parades and try to defuse tension around marches.

Its decision not to allow a march down the Garvaghy Road that summer has been challenged by the order for the past three decades.

Earlier this year the Parades Commission decided that the march could go ahead on 27 September with restrictions in place after its original decision to stop the march was overturned in court.

That morning, up to 1,000 people - including politicians such as Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill - blocked the road, preventing Orangemen marching from Drumcree Church a mile to the west.

Since then, residents have maintained a constant presence around the road while Orangemen have also repeatedly tried to march the route before being turned back by police.

On Friday night, members of the Portadown District Lodge again walked to police lines at Drumcree, as they have done regularly over the past two weeks, but were halted.

The chief constable said last week that the consequences of police forcing an Orange Order march down the Garvaghy Road "could be catastrophic".

He had said while the PSNI's objective was to facilitate the determination, this could not be done "at all costs". In his application to have Sir Chris review the ruling, Boutcher said that costs were a factor.

"I highlighted that the continuing costs and impact upon the PSNI were significant and in the context of our existing funding challenges could not be sustained indefinitely," he stated.

The PSNI has said the cost of policing the two-week stand-off has been about £5m, but warned that figure could rise.

During the policing operation, about 140 officers were drafted in from across the UK to help under mutual aid arrangements. They have now left Northern Ireland. The dispute has also prompted a police investigation.

The First Minister Michelle O'Neill confirmed she had received a letter from police investigating protests over Drumcree.

On Thursday, police said they had begun issuing letters inviting people "reasonably suspected" of committing offences linked to the protests to interview.

Two weeks ago, the Parades Commission issued a determination saying that the Orange Order parade was to be allowed on the Garvaghy Road with restrictions in place. That prompted a legal challenge from the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition which opposed the march. The Court of Appeal is considering whether to allow a challenge to the Parades Commission's ruling, which has been lodged by residents.