Bertie Ahern, Upbeat on police reform
The Taoiseach has said that excellent progress has been made on reform of policing in the North. He was speaking following a working lunch with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Downing Street.
Mr Ahern confirmed that the two governments had also discussed the selection of an international judge to investigate allegations of collusion in six killings in the North. He said that they were seeking an eminent international judge with a human rights background.
Mr Ahern also confirmed that the two sides had discussed Sellafield and the forthcoming EU summit in Barcelona.
There was no indication after today's meeting that either government sees any further decommissioning as imminent. But the Northern Secretary has stressed that an act of decommissioning by Loyalists is now essential for progress.
The talks at Downing Street lasted over an hour and marked the leaders' first in-depth meeting since the British-Irish Council in Dublin towards the end of last year.
In a separate development, British government sources have indicated that it could be some time before they are ready to bring forward laws for an amnesty for unsolved paramilitary offences committed before the Good Friday Agreement was signed. The move had been discussed by the Irish and British governments during the Weston Park talks on the North last summer.
The amnesty would cover incidents such as the Enniskillen and Warrington bombings. Its possible introduction has outraged Unionists.
The Northern Secretary had promised to introduce within months, legislation to bring that amnesty into effect. However, British sources have told RTÉ News that the legislation is now likely to be delayed.
