Trimble and Adams hold face-to-face talks

David Trimble and Gerry Adams have held their first face-to-face talks since the Ulster Unionist Council backed action against three rebel MPs, it emerged today.

As speculation mounted about a new bid to restore the power-sharing executive and Assembly in Northern Ireland, a Sinn Féin spokesman confirmed their leader met Ulster Unionist leader Mr Trimble.

The spokesman said: “Sinn Féin will not be publicly releasing the issues discussed by the two leaders today.

“It is a matter of public knowledge that if we are pressing for an election date as soon as possible, that there is also a need to ensure that the institutions will be sustained and that the outstanding aspects of the Good Friday Agreement will be completed.

“The unionists have concerns as well of course and all of this argues for a collective effort.

“The least said at this point the better. No one should underestimate the difficulties that we have to overcome.”

In recent days it has emerged that Sinn Féin leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness have met Tony Blair away from the public spotlight.

They also met Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Dublin.

Northern Ireland politicians have begun to speculate about the possibility of an autumn Assembly election, following its cancellation last May.

That speculation has been fuelled by Mr Trimble’s success at Saturday’s meeting of his 900-men ruling council in Belfast.

Ulster Unionist Council delegates backed Mr Trimble in a dispute with three MPs, the Reverend Martin Smyth, Jeffrey Donaldson and David Burnside, who resigned the party whip at Westminster in June in a row over policy.