Summit meeting may bring NI elections closer
The Irish and British governments may move closer towards fixing a date for elections for a new Northern Ireland Assembly at a summit meeting in London today.
As well as Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, the Downing Street discussions will involve Northern Secretary Paul Murphy, Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen and Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.
The exchanges will concentrate on continuing, but currently-slow-moving efforts to advance the Northern Ireland peace process.
And the likelihood is that both the Ulster Unionist Party of former Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble and Gerry Adams’s Sinn Féin will also be in London for the occasion.
Sinn Féin, however, were counselling against suggestions that the two leaders could be near to a deal on outstanding issues, centring on policing and justice that could ease the way to an early poll date.
In an assessment of the present mood, Mr Ahern commented ahead of the meeting: “It is very difficult. We are not making the progress Tony Blair and I had hoped to make – that’s the negative.
“The positive is that the parties (in Northern Ireland) are very much committed to engaging. They have worked very hard to try to make progress.
“During the weekend, there were hours of discussions between Sinn Féin and the Ulster Unionist Party at senior level, and I hope that engagement will continue into the days ahead.”
Mr Ahern said the No 10 meeting would be “a full summit to look at where we are”.
He added: “I think we have made a lot of progress, and it is timely that we should meet again.”
Mr Ahern described on-going dialogue between the parties in Northern Ireland as “very important, because it is they who must work together in any functioning executive after the election”.
He said: “Naturally I welcome the engagement between Sinn Féin and the UUP, and I understand it is continuing. That has to be encouraging in itself.”
Mr Ahern – who also this weekend repeatedly spelled out his backing for early assembly elections, with, or without agreement between the parties on the outstanding points of difference, said: “We do not know at this point whether key issues can be clarified in advance.
“But again I would like to reiterate that each day that passes pushes any possible election date later into November, and I think all of the parties have made it clear that is not the best way.
“We want the elections to be held in a positive, pro-(Good Friday) agreement atmosphere – that is in the best interests of the peace process generally, and of the pro-agreement parties.”
The Downing Street meeting will coincide with a trip to Belfast by Richard Haas, US President George W Bush’s special representative on Ireland, who is due to see political and other leaders for a range of talks.
