The Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister have said that intensive negotiations will begin next week to try to move the situation forward as soon as possible. Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair were speaking in Hillsborough following discussions with the pro-Agreement parties.
Next week's talks will also involve the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen, and the Northern Secretary, John Reid, and will take place in the wake of the expected resignation of David Trimble as First Minister. He has said he expects to resign on Sunday if there is no IRA decommissioning.
Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair said that the outstanding issues had to be dealt with. Mr Blair said that he remained optimistic because all the parties were dedicated to making the Agreement work. Mr Ahern said that the Government is ready to get on with the work. He said that the issues were complex and well known.
As Sinn Féin's delegation arrived for the talks today, the party's president Gerry Adams said that Republicans were not posing any threat to the future of the peace process. Earlier, Tony Blair said that he did not believe that he could stop David Trimble from carrying out his threat to resign as First Minister in four days time.
Mr Ahern and Mr Blair considered their strategy and discussed the prospects for the talks in a telephone conversation yesterday. The meetings took place just days before the threatened resignation of the North's First Minister. David Trimble's resignation letter is due to take effect on Sunday, unless there is a start to IRA arms decommissioning. Republicans are adamant that that will not happen, so the stage is set for Mr Trimble to step down.
The last time he threatened to resign, the British government suspended the political institutions. However, they are not expected to repeat that exercise this time, perhaps in the knowledge that Mr Trimble's star is on the wane within his party.
Six weeks can elapse after a First Minister resigns before the Assembly has to agree a successor. Both governments will hope to use that period for more discussions aimed at brokering a deal on the outstanding issues that might pave the way for a start to decommissioning. The worry is that a volatile marching season, and suggestions that other Unionist ministers might follow Mr Trimble, could derail those hopes over the summer.
