Blair and Ahern head to Scotland for crunch NI talks

The British and Irish Prime Ministers are off to St Andrews in Scotland today to hold three days of intensive talks with Northern Ireland politicians over the restoration of the power-sharing Assembly.

The talks are being held ahead of the November 24 deadline, which Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain has referred to as "real" and must deliver a 100% deal.

At a rally held in Belfast last night Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said that his party was opposed to criminality and wanted policing that was both fair and impartial.

However, the talks will have to establish what moves, if any, the Democratic Unionist Party are prepared to make to restore a political process to Northern Ireland's attempts at a devolved local government administration.

The Reverend Ian Paisley's party is adamant that they will not return to a power-sharing executive unless the Provisional IRA have turned away from criminality and paramilitary activity.

The DUP will also want to see Sinn Fein endorse the Police Service of Northern Ireland and call on their supporters to co-operate with police in the province.

During last night's address Mr Adams described policing as "an area of struggle" and he said that he wanted to see the police changed from an armed political wing of the state to a policing service for the people.

The talks follow a report last week from the Independent Monitoring Commission said that the IRA had changed radically with some of its structure being dismantled.

Last week the three home battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment were disbanded during a ceremony at which the Queen awarded the regiment the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.

While the NI Assembly sat in May, direct rule has been in place since the Assembly was dissolved in October 2002.

(SP/CD)