The Northern Ireland political process was deadlocked last night as the DUP won more seats than its Ulster Unionist rivals and Sinn Féin surged ahead of the SDLP in the Assembly elections.
As the North was again plunged into renewed political crisis, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson launched a new leadership challenge against the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble.
The Lagan Valley MP made his move after the anti-Belfast Agreement DUP stretched ahead of the UUP to be the largest party in Northern Ireland with 30 seats, having picked up 10 additional seats - three more than the Ulster Unionists.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, told RTÉ last night that a formal review of the Belfast Agreement would be initiated next week, when the Irish and British governments will seek the views of the main parties. But he stressed it was not "renegotiation".
The election proved calamitous for Mr Mark Durkan's SDLP which was swept aside by Sinn Féin as the main nationalist party. The SDLP now has only 18 seats compared with 24 seats in the 1998 Assembly poll, while Sinn Féin won 24 seats compared with 18 five years ago.
Sinn Féin took additional seats in the previous SDLP strongholds of South Down and Newry and Armagh and made inroads in Mr John Hume's Westminster Foyle constituency.
Mr Gerry Adams predicted that in subsequent elections Sinn Féin would expand on these gains and narrow misses, raising the prospect of the party taking the Westminster seats of Mr Hume, Mr Seamus Mallon and Mr Eddie McGrady in the next British general election.
The sense of crisis and the prospect of a long period of political vacuum and direct rule from London was exacerbated by DUP leader the Rev Ian Paisley's insistence that he would not negotiate with Sinn Féin.
The British and Irish governments had placed some hope in DUP pragmatists such as Mr Peter Robinson and Mr Nigel Dodds deviating from the Paisley line but Mr Robinson affirmed he fully supported his leader's position on "IRA/Sinn Féin".
Were devolution fully restored then Dr Paisley or his deputy Mr Robinson could take the First Minister post and Mr Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin the Deputy First Minister position. Dr Paisley, however, said he would not negotiate with a "bunch of renegades" in Sinn Féin.
While the SDLP fared worst, the main leadership pressure is on UUP leader Mr Trimble. His chief internal opponent, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, last night told The Irish Times Mr Trimble should "step aside".
"If we don't take action now in 18 months' time we will be where the SDLP is now," he added. The first moves towards any new heave are likely to begin at the first meeting of the UUP's Assembly grouping in Stormont on Monday.
Some Assembly members who believe that neither Mr Trimble nor Mr Donaldson can unite the party have again raised the possibility of Sir Reg Empey as a compromise candidate. Sir Reg would not comment on the issue. Mr Trimble said he had no intention of resigning. "We went out of the Assembly with 26 seats, and came back with 27 - that is not a defeat," he said defiantly.
The British and Irish governments insisted last night the "fundamentals" of the agreement were "not open to renegotiation".
Privately, Dublin and London fear such is the stalemate that it could take up to two years before there is a chance of restoring devolution. Mr Ahern last night highlighted difficulties surrounding any attempt to renegotiate the Belfast Agreement. He said it was an international agreement and could not be changed without a referendum in the Republic.
