Ahern and Blair to review power-sharing progress

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair will today review the prospects of securing power-sharing at Stormont in March.

The Downing Street meeting will follow the release of a new report by the North’s ceasefire watchdog, the Independent Monitoring Commission.

It will also be the first time the two leaders have met following Sinn Féin’s endorsement of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

The North's politicians are preparing for a fresh Assembly Election on March 7. The Transitional Assembly dissolved from today.

Both leaders have been buoyed by Sinn Féin's decision on Sunday to allow the party’s elected representative to take part on policing boards.

They will also be looking for certainty that the Rev Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists will form a power-sharing government at Stormont featuring Sinn Féin at the end of an election, now that Gerry Adams has said his party will urge members of the community to report crimes like rape, assault on the elderly and joy-riding to the police.

Mr Ahern and Mr Blair have long believed that Sinn Féin support for the police was essential if the DUP were to be persuaded to form a devolved government.

Mr Paisley yesterday acknowledged Sinn Féin’s new policy was a step forward, but he warned republicans that he was not prepared to accept a post-dated cheque, with Sinn Féin only moving on support for police in the event of a devolved government being formed.

Mr Adams’ response that he and his colleagues would urge their community to co-operate with the police on crimes like rape and aggravated burglary place the ball back in the DUP leaders’ court over power-sharing.

With the writ for a new Assembly Election due to be moved tomorrow, the North's politicians were frantically preparing their campaign literature, election broadcasts and posters in anticipation of the prime minister confirming March 7 would be polling day.

Government sources, however, insisted nothing should be taken for granted.

Mr Adams will today meet members of the Methodist Church before heading to another session with his party’s national executive to discuss how they will implement the motion passed at their special conference in Dublin on Sunday.