Government has first face-to face talks with DUP in London next week

THE Government will have its first face-to-face meeting with Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionist Party in London next week.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Foreign Minister Brian Cowen confirmed yesterday that they will meet a delegation of senior DUP figures, including the Rev Paisley, in the Irish Embassy in London. It is the first time that they will have met since the DUP emerged as the largest party in the North after the Assembly elections in November.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Ahern described the proposed meeting as a major step forward in the ongoing efforts by both governments and the Northern political parties to restore the Assembly and institutions, which have been in suspension for more than a year.

Separately, Mr Cowen met with Northern Secretary Paul Murphy in Farmleigh House in Dublin yesterday to discuss the review of the Good Friday Agreement, which will begin on February 3. While not disclosing the specific details of what will be involved in the review, it is understood that the discussions will begin with multi-party talks followed by trilateral meetings, involving the Irish and British governments, and individual parties.

As yet, there is no definite time frame as to when the review will be completed, though both governments have said that they want the talks to be short, focused and incisive.

Mr Cowen told reporters that the review will involve only the operation of the agreement. He said that the parties would not be talking about the reinvention of the wheel, a clear reference to the governments’ view that renegotiation of the Good Friday Agreement will not be on the agenda.

The meeting between Mr Cowen and Mr Murphy lasted almost three hours and a 16-point communiqué was issued afterwards. One significant development that emerged was that the International Monitoring Commission would now begin to look at theissue of “normalisation” of security and policing matters in Northern Ireland, in addition to its current monitoring role, ensuring that all forms of paramilitary activity have come to an end.

The Oireachtas Justice Committee has invited the Northern Secretary to attend its hearings into the finding of the Barron Report on the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings. Asked as to his intentions yesterday, Mr Murphy said that he had not yet decided if he would accept the invitation.

Yesterday’s British-Irish conference included a wide-range review of political developments since the Assembly elections in November. It agreed that it was vital to continue work to encourage renewed trust and confidence in a stable, positive and secure environment.

The conference was also attended by Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy and PSNI Chief Constable Huge Orde.