Taoiseach to meet with Blair over power-sharing

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern will meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Downing Street tonight to discuss ongoing attempts to restore power-sharing in the North.

It’s the first time they have met since the transitional assembly was established at Stormont in line with the St Andrews agreement.

A spokesman for the Taoiseach said the focus of the meeting would be on ensuring the St Andrews timescale is maintained “in all respects”. That timescale envisages power-sharing being restored in March subject to the DUP and Sinn Féin meeting the conditions set out in the agreement.

Elections will also be held in the North prior to the March deadline as a way of seeking public approval of the St Andrews plan.

The spokesman said the Taoiseach would also raise the continuing concerns about collusion between the British security forces and loyalist terrorists during the Troubles, an issue highlighted once again by an Oireachtas committee report last week.

Meanwhile, focus group research by a US expert has suggested undecided voters would prefer a FF-Labour coalition to form after next summer’s election.

The research was carried out for RTÉ in Dublin this week by Dr Frank Luntz, one of the most influential pollsters in the US Republican Party.

It involved a “dial session”, whereby a group of approximately 30 undecided voters were each given an instrument with a dial and then shown extracts of speeches from party leaders.