Northern talks adjourn for the night

The Stormont talks are being adjourned for the night. They will be resumed tomorrow. Tony Blair's official spokesman said that a report by General John de Chastelain on decommissioning would be presented tomorrow. The British and Irish governments will also be making a statement on the next stage in the Northern peace process.

The British Prime Minister met the Ulster Unionist Assembly members at Stormont tonight. The meeting lasted about half an hour. No details have been given, but a spokesman for the Ulster Unionists describe the meeting as very frank. He said that he was optimistic that progress can still be made. Earlier, it was reported that Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern were working on proposals to bridge the differences between the Ulster Unionists and Sinn Fein on decommissioning and the formation of a power-sharing executive.

In Washington, President Clinton has urged the parties to agree a compromise. Sinn Fein's Executive nominee, Barbara De Bruin, said that the Ulster Unionists were not seriously engaging in talks, which she described as a cause for concern. The Ulster Unionist negotiator, Dermott Nesbitt, said that his party had given a commitment to inclusive government, but Sinn Féin had made no commitment on decommissioning.

A British Government spokesman said that, if the talks fail, the public would not forgive the participants when they realise how close they were to a deal. The spokesman acknowledged that the talks cannot go on indefinitely, but he declined to suggest any deadline.

The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said this afternoon that there had been a seismic shift in the political landscape, but the Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble, and his Sinn Féin counterpart, Gerry Adams, said that fundamental disagreements remained. It is understood that Mr. Ahern and Mr. Blair have been chairing the first round table discussions involving all the parties. A spokesman for Mr. Blair said there had been meaningful proposals from Sinn Féin and that meaningful counter proposals from the Ulster Unionists were expected.

Earlier, David Trimble and Gerry Adams accused one another of remaining entrenched in their respective positions. However, the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister's comments indicated that there had been considerable progress. Mr. Ahern said that things had been given by the two sides which had never been given before, and Mr. Blair said that he believed agreement was still within grasp.

Speaking outside Castle Buildings, the Taoiseach said that only a few more moves need to be made to achieve a breakthrough at the Stormont talks. The British Prime Minister said that the UK and Irish governments were prepared to give "absolute legislative failsafes" to both groups over decommissioning. He added "the entire civilised world will not understand if we cannot put this together and make this work." Mr. Blair said taht the differences between the sides were no longer matters of principle, but issues of sequencing and timing.

The talks broke up shortly after half past three this morning without resolving the deadlock over decommissioning and the formation of an executive. The negotiations continued after the midnight deadline expired, but during the early hours hopes of a breakthrough gradually faded. The discussions lasted sixteen hours and involved the Taoiseach, the British Prime Minister and the northern parties.

Mr. Blair did not travel to Edinburgh for the official opening of the new Scottish parliament today. Mr. Blair and Mr. Ahern kept David Trimble and Gerry Adams back for a brief talks session, after other representatives had left early this morning. It was reported that earlier that the Ulster Unionist party rejected proposals from Sinn Féin and the two governments that would have involved a timetable being agreed for IRA decommissioning.

The report on decommissioning by General John de Chastelain has still not yet been made public. Last night, Gerry Adams and David Trimble both stated their points of disagreement when they briefly appeared outside Stormont. Mr. Adams said that decommissioning, before the setting up of a power-sharing executive, was not achievable. Mr Trimble said that he had received no concrete proposals from Sinn Féin in the course of the last few days of negotiations.

The US President Bill Clinton had telephone conversations this morning with Mr. Adams and Mr. Trimble. The British Prime Minister has also discussed the deadlock with the US President. Tony Blair's spokesman said that the US leader would be kept briefed. Mr Clinton said that he remained hopeful and he again appealed to give peace a chance.