Gerry Adams lays out his stall

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams will use today’s Ard Fheis address to declare power-sharing and party advancement as his main priorities for 2006.

More than 2,000 delegates will gather at the Dublin event, which is focusing on the themes of Irish unity and equality.

Party supporters are also buoyed by the 90th and 25th respective anniversaries of 1916 Rising and the 1981 Hunger Strikes in coming months.

Sinn Féin’s chief negotiator Martin McGuinness last night insisted that political talks were still working and threw down the gauntlet to the Rev Ian Paisley to sign up to power-sharing.

Mr Adams is expected to expand on this theme in this keynote speech today, and call for more political engagement from the Democratic Unionist Party.

He will also outline plans to maximise party support in the run-up to next year’s general election.

Mr McGuinness has said that Sinn Féin could be cast in the role of kingmaker when it comes to forming a government in Leinster House.

Motions banning coalition with Fianna Fáil and others appear on the programme for today’s discussion on electoral strategy.

Delegates last night called for a special conference to debate the viability of the Agreement “as a vehicle to advance the struggle for a 32-county democratic socialist republic“.

Guest speakers on today’s programme include Micheal O Seighin of the Rossport Five group and Dunnes Stores worker Joanne Delaney, who says she was sacked from her job in Crumlin because she wore a union badge.

Other invited delegates include members of the NUE-NGL political group in the European parliament and visitors from Portugal, the Basque country, Cyprus and Sweden.

Jim Monaghan, a member of the so-called Colombia Three on the run from Bogota authorities, made a surprise appearance on the opening night of the Ard Fheis.

Sinn Féin said the wide-ranging motions reflected the high level of debate that is ongoing through the party.