Progress is being made on peace agreement says Ahern

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday reiterated his view that progress was being made in the search to arrive at an agreement that would see Sinn Féin and the DUP sharing power in the North.

Mr Ahern, speaking in Dublin, said officials were continuing to work on amendments to the latest initiative taken by the Irish and British governments.

In London the previous day, both Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and his DUP counterpart Ian Paisley had raised a number of issues relating to the document prepared by the two governments.

Mr Ahern said he hoped to be in a position to issue an “honest response” to the parties’ clarifications by today. “I suspect it will narrow down to a small number of issues as always, but we’ll try and get that done as we go into the weekend,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Adams discussed the importance of the London talks at a meeting of the Sinn Féin national executive in Dublin yesterday.

Echoing the sentiments of party colleague Mitchell McLoughlin, Mr Adams said they were still awaiting confirmation from the DUP that the party was prepared to do a deal.

He argued that if the DUP were not minded to come to an agreement within a very short time span, the two governments should take the initiative and press ahead with devolved government in any instance.

The DUP is still insisting any act of decommissioning carried out by the IRA be demonstrably visible.

The party has also queried the timetable for the restoration of devolved institutions put forward by Mr Ahern and by British prime minister Tony Blair.