Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has said that Northern Ireland is on the cusp of something big. He was speaking after a meeting with the Taoiseach and Government ministers in Dublin today.
Mr Adams said the IRA would honour its commitment to decommission all its weapons.
He added that the DUP leader, Ian Paisley, should be given time and space to reflect on what happens in the coming weeks.
Sinn Féin Chief Negotiator Martin McGuinness added that what happens in the next couple of weeks could be even more significant than the 1994 ceasefire, and what happened in July of this year when the IRA announced an end to its armed campaign.
Both the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, described the meeting as good and fruitful.
Today's meeting was the first of its kind since January.
The mood was sour at the last such meeting between the Sinn Féin leadership and the Government team in the wake of the Northern Bank robbery the previous month.
However, today the atmosphere was different after the IRA called an end to its armed campaign in July.
London and Dublin are waiting to see if the promise to end criminality and put arms beyond use will materialise.
In recent days, some unionists have been getting their retaliation in first, criticising weapons decommissioning before it happens.
The indications are that IRA action is imminent as the third anniversary of the suspension of Stormont approaches.
