SDLP hold talks with Taoiseach
Thursday, 2 March 2006 20:48An SDLP delegation headed by party leader Mark Durkan had over an hour of talks with the Taoiseach this afternoon as part of efforts to get the North's institutions back up and running.
This morning, Bertie Ahern said that the two governments might soon have to 'make a call' on how to make progress, even if the parties could not agree on the way forward.
Mr Durkan told journalists his party was delighted that the Government was moving towards a position where a clear date would be set for the restoration of the institutions.
He also said the Irish Government accepted that a document drawn up by the governments last December, which included the idea of a so-called shadow executive, was no longer a baseline for progress.
A spokesperson for the Taoiseach would only say that the meeting had been focused and helpful, but that further developments would have to await next week's meeting between Mr Ahern and Tony Blair in London.
Mr Ahern also discussed the prospects for progress in the North this afternoon in a separate meeting with British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who is in Dublin for a round of engagements.
