IRA in winding down talks, says Ahern
Speaking in Warsaw, Bertie Ahern said he did not know how long the process would take, but he was satisfied that talks were taking place.
The Taoiseach was answering questions about Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams’ appeal to the IRA last month.
The Taoiseach’s comments came as it was confirmed he and ForeignAffairs Minister Dermot Ahern will separately meet Peter Hain in Dublin this evening in their first official meetings with the new Northern Secretary.
It marks the beginning of renewed engagement following the hiatus caused by last December’s talks breakdown, the Northern Bank robbery and the murder of Robert McCartney.
The Taoiseach will meet US envoy Mitchell Reiss in Dublin tomorrow and, on Monday, will hold his first talks with SDLP leader Mark Durkan since his election as an MP.
A substantive meeting between Mr Ahern and Mr Blair to discuss possible progress in the peace process will be held shortly, a government spokeswoman said last night.
For his part, Mr Blair begins a new round of talks in Downing Street today with the DUP leader Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams.
In his appeal to the IRA last month, Mr Adams said the republican struggle had reached a defining moment and appealed to the IRA to move forward and embrace democratic means.
Mr Ahern said yesterday: “I am satisfied the consultation process is under way (within the IRA).”
Mr Ahern was in Warsaw to address the 46-nation Council of Europe summit. The body was assessing its role in modern Europe and adopted a strategy.
The summit was highly critical of Belarus, described as the last dictatorship in Europe.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Prime Minister condemned a motion honouring 1.5 million Armenians killed by the Turkish Ottoman empire in the early 20th century.
Mr Ahern spoke about the need for the European Court of Human Rights to be reformed, as it was a victim of its own success and severely overstretched.
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