NI peace process reaches crucial point

The Northern Ireland peace process has reached a crucial point as two key "make or break" meetings take place today.

A Sinn Féin delegation led by party President Gerry Adams has an unprecedented meeting with PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde. While DUP leader the Rev Ian Paisley meets with the head of the decommissioning body to discuss the details of IRA disarmament.

Prior to the meeting in Downing Street, Mr Adams said that he was seeking "demilitarisation of the republican heartlands".

The Sinn Féin President said: "We are here to do business, and if the Chief Constable and the British Prime Minister are here to do business, then yet another issue will be resolved".

DUP leader Ian Paisley will meet General John de Chastelain, the head of the International Commission on Decommissioning, later today to discuss evidence and transparency in the destruction of IRA weapons.

At perhaps its most crucial point since the Good Friday Agreement was reached in 1998, both loyalist and republican sides are keen to notch up points as the British and Irish governments try to get the peace process back on track in Northern Ireland.

Both Mr Adams and Rev Paisley have declared that they are seeking a "fair deal" as moves to get devolved government up and running again have intensified in the past few weeks following the US elections and ahead of a forthcoming general election in the UK.

US involvement has escalated with President George W Bush phoning the Rev Paisley on Friday and Mr Adams on Sunday.

The government institutions including the develoved local government assembly set up under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement were suspended in October 2002 over allegations of IRA intelligence gathering.

(SP)