A public opinion poll in tomorrow's Irish Times shows strong support for The Way Forward, the British and Irish Government's document on the north. 84% of those questioned in the Republic for the MRBI poll said they believed
the northern executive should be formed on July 18t, as proposed by the two governments. In the North, two out of three were in favour. Among Unionists, 60% of UUP supporters supported the deadline for the formation of the
executive and even 28% of DUP supporters backed the proposal. On the question of the handover of paramilitary weapons, 85% of those questioned in the Republic wanted decommissioning by next May, compared to 75% in the
North.
Earlier today, a Downing Street spokesman has denied that there is any rift between Dublin and London on Northern Ireland. He said that, no matter how many times people tried to highlight differences between the two governments, they would not succeed, because both were working closely to ensure the success of the peace process.
This follows the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair's repeating of his view that Sinn Féin and the IRA are inextricably linked. Speaking on the Question Time programme on BBC television last night, Mr. Blair said that the Republican movement was effectively one movement, and there was no doubt that they worked very closely together.
The denial followed apparent differences in public comments by Mr. Blair and the Taoiseach. Yesterday, Mr. Ahern said that he believed Sinn Féin and the IRA were two separate organisations, and he called on the IRA to make its position on decommissioning clear.
