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26/01/2006
Blair and Ahern look to political 'progress' in NI
Prime Minister Tony Blair has said that Northern Ireland politicians must make progress this year towards restoration of the Assembly.
Following a Dublin meeting with his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern, Mr Blair announced that on February 6 talks will get under way between The Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern and the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain.
The Prime Minister said it was almost eight years since the Good Friday Agreement and he wanted to see matters progressed toward devolution.
Mr Blair said: "I think that we have learned throughout that a state of paralysis or stalemate is not a good place to be, however benign or placid things appear to be, whilst that stalemate continues, actually under the surface, there are all those currents of instability present when there is not a true forceful direction moving the process forward.
"I don't think that we should be under any illusion at all, neither about how difficult it is, but also how important it is, to get to the point where we can set out the arrangements and a time line for getting the institutions back up and running again."
He said that 2006 would be a "decisive" year for Northern Ireland, one in which he wanted people to remember that progress had been made in getting to a situation where "all the issues and difficulties" could be "dealt with within the framework of properly devolved institutions."
The talks between the two premiers at Farmleigh House in Dublin's Phoenix Park, comes ahead of the latest Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) report into IRA activity.
Commenting on this issue Mr Ahern said: "It's very hard to see every last little bit fall into place immediately. We will watch this report, we will watch the one in a few months time. It's important that we see incremental progress and we do not see any sliding back."
Earlier this month a leaked report from a Policing Board briefing provoked a Unionist furore over continuing IRA criminality.
Whether the IMC will support or deny this view will not be known until next week, but DUP leader, the Rev. Ian Paisley, has already said that he will treat the report with scepticism.
The Northern Ireland Assembly has been suspended since 2003 when allegations over IRA intelligence gathering emerged.
(SP)
Following a Dublin meeting with his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern, Mr Blair announced that on February 6 talks will get under way between The Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern and the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain.
The Prime Minister said it was almost eight years since the Good Friday Agreement and he wanted to see matters progressed toward devolution.
Mr Blair said: "I think that we have learned throughout that a state of paralysis or stalemate is not a good place to be, however benign or placid things appear to be, whilst that stalemate continues, actually under the surface, there are all those currents of instability present when there is not a true forceful direction moving the process forward.
"I don't think that we should be under any illusion at all, neither about how difficult it is, but also how important it is, to get to the point where we can set out the arrangements and a time line for getting the institutions back up and running again."
He said that 2006 would be a "decisive" year for Northern Ireland, one in which he wanted people to remember that progress had been made in getting to a situation where "all the issues and difficulties" could be "dealt with within the framework of properly devolved institutions."
The talks between the two premiers at Farmleigh House in Dublin's Phoenix Park, comes ahead of the latest Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) report into IRA activity.
Commenting on this issue Mr Ahern said: "It's very hard to see every last little bit fall into place immediately. We will watch this report, we will watch the one in a few months time. It's important that we see incremental progress and we do not see any sliding back."
Earlier this month a leaked report from a Policing Board briefing provoked a Unionist furore over continuing IRA criminality.
Whether the IMC will support or deny this view will not be known until next week, but DUP leader, the Rev. Ian Paisley, has already said that he will treat the report with scepticism.
The Northern Ireland Assembly has been suspended since 2003 when allegations over IRA intelligence gathering emerged.
(SP)
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Northern Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:Rain clearing away east by early evening with some clear spells but a few showers likely to affect the North coast and other areas towards dawn, remaining breezy and mild overnight. Minimum temperature 9 °C.
