Prime Ministers meet ahead of peace negotiations

Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern have met ahead of next week's intensive negotiations on the Northern Ireland peace process.

Both men discussed the current political situation at Mr Blair's Sedgefield constituency in the north east of England on Friday and made plain their view that a solution was needed by the end of next week's three-day negotiations at Leeds Castle.

Mr Blair said: "It's two years now since I made a speech at the Harbour Commission in Belfast about acts of completion, saying in effect that we had to move the whole thing forward and get things done.

"Two years on, the elements are still the same - it's apparent what has to happen: there has to be a complete, unequivocal end to violence, there has to be a willingness on that basis to share power.

"The elements are clear - the question is, is the will clear? Do people really want to do it?"

Mr Ahern added: "There is a clear understanding between the governments about what we want to do. Hopefully, with the three days we have allocated next weekend, there will be the desire to go ahead.

"It is fairly obvious what we require to do. We want to get back to the normality of politics in the north - where people are dealing with education, health, environment, and all the other issues."

Joining the two governments at next week's negotiations, which aims to resolve issues surrounding the deadlock over the IRA's continued existence and power-sharing at Stormont, will be US Envoy to Northern Ireland Mitchell Reiss.

(MB/GMCG)