Paisley: Decommissioning body talks 'useful'
Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley has described his talks with the chairman of the decommissioning body today as useful.
Mr Paisley and his DUP colleagues met John de Chastelain for 90 minutes in Belfast.
Speaking afterwards, he said the resolution of the decommissioning issue would pave the way for a comprehensive power-sharing deal in the North, but he also said a final settlement could take some time.
The IRA is apparently prepared to destroy all its remaining arms as part of an agreement to restore the power-sharing institutions, but the DUP is demanding visible proof of the process.
This is opposed by many republicans, who fear it is designed to humiliate the IRA.
Sinn Féin and the Ulster Unionist Party were close to reaching a comprehensive deal on restoring devolved government in the North last year.
However, the UUP pulled out of the agreement after the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) said it was unable to provide details on what weapons the IRA had decommissioned at the time.
The Irish and British Governments, as well as Sinn Féin and the DUP, are believed to be working on a formula to provide some limited photographic proof of decommissioning to alleviate unionist concerns.
This would be accompanied by a statement from two clergymen who would be allowed to witness the process and another statement from the IICD.
