Campaign to restore NI assembly gets underway

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has met with SDLP leader Mark Durkan as political activity, apparently aimed at restoring devolved government in Northern Ireland, increases.

As rounds of political talks continue, tomorrow Mr Durkan is scheduled to meet with Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen.

Last weekend a meeting between the British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was described as “positive”. The leaders are understood to have discussed in some detail the Northern Ireland political process, which has been in limbo since the Northern Ireland Assembly was suspended last year.

Mr Blair’s official spokesperson said that the leaders had been examining the “next steps” involved in securing elections for the assembly. While Mr Ahern, following the meeting with Mr Blair, told RTE that he had agreed a “roadmap” for the next forthcoming weeks.

Unionists, however, remain fixed on a “first move” by republicans as a precursor to possible elections, and though negotiations continue, no clear agenda has emerged as a series of top-level meeting continue this week.

The Northern Ireland Secretary of State has constituted a four-member monitoring body, advanced as a solution to independently assessing paramilitary activities and maintenance of the various groups’ ceasefire implemented under the Good Friday Agreement.

Earlier this year despite intense political activity between Dublin and London and the production of a “blueprint”, and redrafts of an IRA statement, May elections were postponed following a “lack of clarity” over the paramilitary group’s future intentions.

No date has yet been mooted for elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, but Northern Ireland Secretary of State Paul Murphy, has said that he wanted to see elections before December, and November is widely considered to the earliest possible opportunity.

(SP)