02/03/2006

'Lift Assembly suspension' says Adams

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has emerged from a London meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair today calling for an end to the suspension of the Assembly.

Mr Adams said that in Sinn Fein's view the suspension of the Assembly should be lifted and that this should quickly be followed by election of an executive.

Sinn Fein have opposed the setting up of a shadow assembly with no executive tier.

Both British and Irish Premieres were meeting with Nationalist politicians today for separate talks on restoring devolution to Northern Ireland.

The shadow Assembly idea was put forward in the proposal by the DUP, however, nationalist politicians strongly oppose the idea and it has been speculated that they may boycott such an Assembly.

In Dublin today for a meeting with Taoiseach, SDLP leader Mark Durkan said that Mr Ahern accepted the concerns over the "comprehensive agreement" and that the shadow Assembly was no longer the baseline for progress.

It is understood that the Irish government too are looking at setting a deadline for restoring the institutions in Northern Ireland.

Back in Belfast, Political Development Minister David Hanson held meetings at Stormont with representatives from local parties to discuss possible changes to the rules of any future Northern Ireland Assembly, which has not sat since it was suspended in October 2002.

(EF/SP)

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