Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is due to hold talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the fringes of an EU summit today as efforts continue to break the impasse in the Irish peace process.
The Irish and British governments, as well as Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams and Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble, have been holding a series of intensive talks in recent months with a view to restoring the suspended Northern Assembly.
The talks are also aimed at securing a date for Assembly elections that were cancelled in May.