NI peace talks scheduled for September

The British and Irish Governments are to hold talks in September to move the Northern Ireland peace process forward, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced today.

After a day of talks with the Northern Ireland Assembly parties at Lancaster House in London, Mr Blair said there would be intensive negotiations over several days in September to try and revive the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Mr Blair said there was a recognition on all sides including the parties that it was "time to come to the point of decision and make up our minds one way or another so that at the end of this negotiation we either have, and let us hope we do, a concluded agreement that allows everybody to move forward together or alternatively we are going to have to search for a different way forward''.