Ahern and Blair in NI peace talks

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is preparing to meet Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today, amid frantic diplomatic efforts to restore Northern Ireland’s Assembly.

The two leaders were due to discuss efforts to revive the Stormont power-sharing executive at a summit in Chequers.

Devolution in Northern Ireland has been suspended since last October amid allegations of an IRA spy ring operating at Stormont.

Mr Blair and Mr Ahern have been involved in discussions in recent days with Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.

However, unionists have been insistent that, if the Assembly is to be restored and Stormont elections are to go ahead in November, there must be a declaration soon from the IRA of an end to all paramilitary activity.

Efforts to restore the Assembly and executive stumbled in May following the cancellation of the Stormont elections.

Prime Minister Tony Blair pulled the plug on the election four days into the campaign because he was not convinced that republicans had provided enough guarantees about an end to all paramilitary activity by the IRA.

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams had insisted publicly that the IRA would do nothing to undermine the Good Friday Agreement, but unionists had wanted him and the Provisionals to declare an end to IRA intelligence gathering, weapons procurement, targeting, training, punishment attacks and involvement in all other violence.

In a bid to move the peace process forward, Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy has in recent days announced a four-member commission to monitor the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and paramilitary ceasefires.

The commission is made up of two British Government nominees, an Irish and United States representative.

They are: former Northern Ireland Assembly Speaker Lord Alderdice, John Grieve, who headed the Metropolitan Police’s anti-terrorist unit, Joe Brosnan, who was an official at the Department of Justice and former CIA deputy director Richard Kerr.

Sinn Fein, whose national executive will discuss developments in the peace process in Dublin today, have declared that they will not co-operate with the commission.

The Anti-Good Friday Agreement Democratic Unionists have also been critical of the new body, with East Derry MP Gregory Campbell denouncing it as a “sticking plaster solution which is more damaging than positive for the unionist community”.

Mr Campbell told the British-Irish Association in Cambridge last night: “The independent monitoring commission is a distraction from the real job that lies ahead for politicians in Northern Ireland, which is to deliver a better form of government.

“It adds nothing to help realise that longer-term aspiration and it is an illusion for anyone to suggest otherwise.”

Mr Campbell also called for an Assembly election to take place soon and he revealed that, if his party was able to block the election of a First and Deputy First Minister at Stormont after the poll, they would take part in talks.

He indicated: “After the election it will no longer be an option to ignore the people of Northern Ireland.

“It will be clear that the Belfast Agreement has been rejected.

“It will matter little whether the government call these new talks a comprehensive review of the Belfast Agreement or something else because, with sufficient support in the election, we have it within our power to make sure that the Belfast Agreement never again gets off the ground.”

Ulster unionists were also holding their third party meeting this week, with the UUP executive due to discuss its response to the British and Irish Governments’ plans for the peace process.

Yesterday, party officers agreed to put on hold disciplinary action against three rebel MPs who have resigned the whip at Westminster in a row over policy.