The Northern Secretary, Mo Mowlam, has said she intends to call a meeting of the Northern Assembly either next Wednesday or Thursday to start the procedure leading to devolution. The parties will then have to decide whether or not to go ahead and form an executive and appoint ministers. Dr Mowlam was speaking at Stormont after meeting the political parties.
However, the North's First Minister, David Trimble, repeated today that he would not back down from his demand that there had to be a start to IRA decommissioning before he would agree to Sinn Féin entering the governmental executive.
Dr Mowlam, and her deputy Paul Murphy spent today in another round of talks with the various parties at Stormont, but she was forced to admit that after a week of intensive discussions fundamental differences still remain. The Northern secretary accepted the situation was deeply worrying and she said it would be a crime if progress was not made before next week's Good Friday deadline.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and the British Prime Minister Tony Blair are expected at Stormont on Monday and they will try to nudge the parties towards agreement. Dr Mowlam said she intends to call a meeting of the Assembly for next Wednesday or Thursday, to trigger the procedure under which the new executive should be established and the first steps towards devolution, taken. However if the Ulster Unionists and Sinn Féin maintain their so far intractable positions, the process could be furher delayed.
