Murphy predicts breakthrough in peace process

THE anticipated breakthrough in the peace process, involving the disbandment of the IRA, could happen within weeks, the Northern Ireland secretary said yesterday.

Paul Murphy added that trust grows slowly and sometimes painfully.

"But I believe that within the next two weeks both sides have the opportunity to take dramatic, decisive and unequivocal steps forward which themselves will form the basis of a new relationship," he said.

The minister's comments at the British Irish Interparliamentary meeting in Wales, added to the air of optimism created by the Sinn Féin's Louth TD Arthur Morgan, who also pitched the prospect of an imminent deal.

"I hope that in the next few days we will be in a position to welcome a breakthrough in the situation in Ireland," Mr Morgan said.

That conclusion followed along the same lines as Mr Murphy's views.

"I think we are talking about dealing with weeks, rather than months," he added.

Noting that devolution was now a prospect across England a vote on a North Eastern regional assembly is being held next month and was already entrenched in Wales and Scotland, Mr Murphy said direct rule in the North is no longer acceptable.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan yesterday said the Northern peace process is a source of inspiration to the rest of the world.

On the final day of his visit to Ireland, Mr Annan delivered the Tip O'Neill lecture at the University of Ulster in Derry.

"Your efforts to create a better world for your children have been a source of inspiration and hope to people in many other countries. If the world is to learn lessons about how to manage the transition from troubles and violence to peace, surely it can learn some of them from you," he told the audience.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said in Dublin last night that the parties had a time frame of only a matter of weeks to reach an agreement.

In a cautious response to the latest positive soundings, Mr Ahern said that he was neither going to talk up nor talk down the prospects of a breakthrough.

"(As regards) the window of opportunity that is available, you do not have to be too much of a Northern Irish watcher to see what it is. All of us would agree that we would only have a number of weeks," he said.

Saying he agreed with what Mr Murphy had said at Chepstow, Mr Ahern said that if the opportunity was let slip, possible elections in Britain and the North Ireland next year would lead to a long period of delay.

"You will have this long drift until 2006 which will be extremely unhelpful," he added.