Mr David Trimble and Mr Gerry Adams are to meet again shortly in an effort to break the stalemate on decommissioning. The Sinn Fein leader said no breakthrough followed from their 85-minute meeting at Stormont yesterday although Mr Trimble spoke of a "limited amount of progress".
Both have agreed to one or more meetings in advance of the Easter week deadline for the creation of an executive set by the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, on Monday.
"One has to say it was a significant meeting. A limited amount of progress was made and I hope at further meetings there will be more progress," Mr Trimble said.
While Mr Adams repeated that the political process was in "crisis" the North's First Minister was still holding to his prediction that the IRA and the loyalist paramilitaries would begin decommissioning. "It's not a question of whether, it's a question of when," he said. Mr Trimble refused to elaborate on what progress was made at the meeting.
He said yesterday's discussions, in which the UUP deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, and Mr Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein were involved, did not amount to negotiations.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Adams, said after the meeting that there was "no breakthrough" but that both sides would meet again. He said he and Mr McGuinness were "mindful of the crisis" that was continuing over decommissioning, and were anxious and concerned to break the deadlock. He disagreed with Dr Mowlam's decision to extend the deadline for devolution until Easter week, but nonetheless that additional time must be advantageously used to ensure "that this process does not collapse".
Mr Adams said the Belfast Agreement must succeed because the "begrudgers, and the wreckers and the nay-sayers" must not be allowed to have their way.
The North's political development minister, Mr Paul Murphy, has invited two representatives from each of the Assembly parties to talks tomorrow aimed at finding a way out of the decommissioning impasse.
The Alliance leader, Mr Sean Neeson, said the meeting would allow the parties to discuss how to move the process forward.
Mr Peter Robinson, the DUP deputy leader, said his party would not attend the round-table talks. However, were Mr Murphy agreeable, the DUP with other anti-agreement unionist parties would meet him and/or Dr Mowlam separately.
Mr Robert McCartney said he would not attend.
