Details of proposed deal to be released if talks fail

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, plans to release detailed information on the scope of the deal to restore powersharing ithe North if…

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, plans to release detailed information on the scope of the deal to restore powersharing ithe North if no settlement is reached in last-minute talks today and tomorrow, it emerged last night.

As the DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, insisted last night that Provisional IRA decommissioning should be photographed, it was learned that Mr Ahern will travel to Belfast tomorrow even if no deal is reached.

Whatever the outcome of the talks, Mr Ahern will attend a press conference at the Waterfront Hall with his British counterpart, Mr Tony Blair, tomorrow afternoon.

The two leaders had a long phone conversation yesterday ahead of Mr Blair's meeting with the DUP leader.

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Despite Dr Paisley's demand on the IRA last night to "repent publicly", the Government has made tentative plans for Dáil statements on the settlement tomorrow night if a deal is reached.

In the proposal currently under discussion, the Assembly would reconvene in shadow form in February before a full resumption of business at the end of February or beginning of March.

New elections would be called if the Assembly failed to elect a powersharing Executive after five weeks. With Dr Paisley insisting last night that the IRA should "take their humiliation", senior Government sources indicated that Mr Ahern and Mr Blair would identify the concessions currently on offer from the IRA if no deal was reached.

Although a number of items were still outstanding after the talks at Leeds Castle, the governments will seek to outline the progress made since then. The proposals in the governments' blueprint will be published, or a summary of them.

The Sinn Féin TD Mr Arthur Morgan said he was hopeful of progress on his party's demand that Northern Ireland MPs and MEPs be granted speaking rights in the Dáil and Seanad.

"If provisions are made for unionist MPs to attend and speak at Westminster, then similar measures should be put in place for nationalist and republican representatives in the Dáil," he said.

"Sinn Féin have presented detailed proposals on this issue to both the Oireachtas committee tasked to deal with this matter and in various negotiations with the Irish Government including the latest one."

Arthur Beesley

Arthur Beesley

Arthur Beesley is Current Affairs Editor of The Irish Times