Trimble casts shadow over push for peace

THE Northern Ireland Assembly elections are set to go ahead one month from today, even in the absence of further IRA clarifications on its plans.

The IRA will be pressed to say it intends to end all its activities until the weekend but after that the governments are likely to try and pick up the pieces after the May 29 elections.

Although the British Government is expected to come under pressure from the Ulster Unionist Party to postpone the elections, such a decision would cause a major rift between the two governments. UUP leader David Trimble warned yesterday that he will effectively prevent the establishment of an executive after the election by not putting forward candidates for any positions in the devolved Government.