Round-table talks to resume in Stormont

The North's pro-agreement political parties and officials from the Irish and British Governments are due to resume round-table discussions in Stormont this afternoon as part of continuing efforts to restore the Assembly and Executive.

Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble is expected to attend the talks after failing to turn up at recent meetings.

Mr Trimble had threatened to pull his party out of the current series of round-table talks in protest at British-Irish moves to keep the six cross-border bodies functioning while the other institutions are suspended.

However, Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen and Northern Secretary Paul Murphy issued a statement yesterday guaranteeing that the regulatory changes are temporary and will lapse once the Assembly and Executive are restored.

The joint statement is expected to bring Mr Trimble back to the talks table, but he is unlikely to change his hardline stance on sharing power with Sinn Féin.

The UUP is currently saying that it will not re-enter government with republicans until the IRA has completely disbanded, something which is highly unlikely in the near future.

The Ulster Unionists are also opposed to planned policing reforms which Sinn Féin and the SDLP are seeking from the British government in order to bring the PSNI more into line with the Patten proposals on policing.

Talks between republicans and the British government are also continuing behind the scenes, with Britain hoping to secure a major step from the IRA in order to give the peace process fresh momentum.