Tony Blair,To travel to the North tomorrow
The British Prime Minister is to visit the North tomorrow for talks with the pro-Agreement parties. The leader of the Labour Party, Ruairí Quinn, who was there today, said that he was concerned that the absence of the Taoiseach from tomorrow's discussions was evidence of a rift between the two governments. Tony Blair's visit marks the intensification of efforts to restore the power-sharing institutions suspended last February.
The SDLP leader has called for the reinstatement of the Northern Assembly and other institutions. John Hume, who met the Labour Party leader in Belfast today, said that the suspension of the bodies had created a worrying political vacuum. Ruairí Quinn has called for the resumption of round table talks involving all the pro-Agreement parties in the North and the two governments, in an attempt to resurrect the peace process.
Mr Quinn was speaking at Stormont this morning, where he was leading a party delegation meeting the North's main political leaders. He said that he was becoming increasingly concerned that part of the momentum of the Good Friday Agreement was in danger of being lost, and he said that a process of engaging all the parties in inclusive negotiations must begin again.
