Mr David Trimble has rejected a proposal from Mr Gerry Adams that they should address the ruling executives of each other's parties.
Mr Trimble and Mr Adams met for 40 minutes at Stormont yesterday at the request of the Sinn Féin president. Mr Adams described the encounter as useful. He said he made his suggestion to provide some mutual reassurance for unionists and republicans that each side was fully committed to every element of the peace process. "I came forward with the proposition that Mr Trimble and I would address the respective executives of our parties, that he would come and meet with the ard chomhairle of Sinn Féin and I would go and meet with the executive of his party," said Mr Adams.
Mr Trimble acknowledged that at one other crisis-ridden time in the peace process he had offered to speak to the IRA's army council. But he turned down Mr Adams's offer, describing it as rather peculiar. "I did not see any particular value in it.
"As I pointed out to him, we are not exactly the best of buddies at the moment, so I rather suspect this would be sending the wrong signals," he said.
Mr Adams said he intended pursuing his idea and believed it could be a runner in the future. "Now he declined that invitation, but I think he is declining that invitation at this time. And I think there is still a pathway of dialogue which can be opened up that the leader of unionism should address republican sentiment and the leaders of Sinn Féin should go along to speak to the people within the executive of the UUP. That would be a very good thing indeed," he said. Mr Adams is travelling to north America today for a five-day, mostly fund-raising visit to Washington, New Jersey, New York, Toronto and Montreal. He is to meet President Bush's special envoy on Northern Ireland, Mr Richard Haass, in Washington tomorrow.
Mr Haass has been critical of recent alleged IRA actions and is likely to take Mr Tony Blair's line that the IRA should allow republicans to make a full transition to democracy.
Mr Trimble said that during yesterday's meeting he said to Mr Adams that "this was another fine mess you've got us into".
He said the political deadlock could only be broken "by, as the Prime Minister said, acts of completion".
"He didn't offer any particular measures and I didn't want to get into a debate as to exactly how this issue is to be resolved except to say that this does have to be resolved by the paramilitaries. The onus is on them," said Mr Trimble.
The new Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, travels to Dublin tomorrow to meet the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, to decide how they will review the suspension of the Stormont institutions.
Mr Cowen is due in Belfast towards the end of the week to meet Sinn Féin, the Alliance Party, the Progressive Unionist Party and the Women's Coalition to discuss the review and to listen to suggestions on how the current difficulties could be resolved.
The Rev Ian Paisley led a senior DUP delegation in talks with Mr Murphy at Stormont yesterday. "Our position will be that we are not taking part in any review," insisted Dr Paisley.
He called for Assembly elections and warned Mr Murphy against the Irish Government having a substantial role in Northern political affairs.
