Pressure mounts on DUP over power sharing

DUBLIN and London piled maximum pressure on the DUP to cut a power sharing deal last night after ceasefire watchdogs delivered a glowing verdict on the IRA’s commitment to the peace process.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Premier Tony Blair insisted the March vote for a Belfast Assembly would only proceed if there was a real prospect of a cross-community government for the North.

The two leaders used a Downing Street summit to publicly welcome the Independent Monitoring Commission’s (IMC) report on paramilitaries and Sinn Féin’s historic decision to endorse civil policing.