Paisley’s Dublin visit raises hopes of deal

HOPES for a peace deal in the North which would see the IRA wound up were revived last night after Ian Paisley agreed to an unprecedented meeting with the Taoiseach in Dublin.

The DUP leader will be accompanied to the historic talks at Government Buildings on Thursday by his deputy Peter Robinson.

Although Dr Paisley has met directly with the Government on a numerous occasions in the past this will be the first time the DUP has travelled to Dublin for talks on the peace process.

The symbolic gesture is seen as a positive sign for the deal hammered out at Leeds Castle, involving a commitment from the IRA to disband in exchange for a return of the power-sharing government.

The deal collapsed after the DUP demanded changes to the workings of the executive to force greater levels of accountability on to ministers. But this move was interpreted by many as an attempt to bring in a veto on ministerial activities.

Last night, a Government spokesperson said the Taoiseach welcomed the meeting but would be sticking to the agreed agenda for the restoration of the institutions.

Ahead of the meeting, Irish and British officials are meeting in Dublin to iron out difficulties. Talks at Stormont last week, chaired by Junior Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tom Kitt, and Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy, ended without agreement.

Although the DUP won’t engage in face-to-face talks with Sinn Féin, the fact the main unionist party is still negotiating on the points raised is viewed as proof the deal is alive.