Ahern meets Brown for talks at Stormont

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has today met British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the first time since he took charge at Downing Street.

The two men held talks this morning ahead of a British-Irish Council summit at Stormont.

Speaking to the media, Mr Ahern described his first meeting with Mr Brown as "good and important".

The British Prime Minister, meanwhile, praised the Taoiseach for his work on the peace process, saying he was held in "great esteem" in the United Kingdom.

The two men later went into talks with First Minister Ian Paisley and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness before the British-Irish Council meetings gets underway in earnest later today.