The Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister are likely to become involved in the Northern Ireland talks process next Wednesday should the inter-party discussions now under way show signs of progress.
However, Government sources last night remained pessimistic about the prospects of agreement in advance of talks due to take place in Belfast today involving the North's main political parties. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen and the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, will co-chair the talks at Hillsborough Castle.
The Taoiseach indicated again yesterday that he saw movement on decommissioning as the key to progress, although he said movement on the other three outstanding issues - demilitarisation, police reform and the stability of the institutions - was also required.
He told the Dail that further progress on demilitarisation was unlikely "until we see substantive progress on decommissioning. The institutions cannot have security of tenure unless we also deal with the outstanding issues." He said he knew the republican movement was saying it was not prepared to make progress on decommissioning until the issues of policing and demilitarisation were dealt with. "Having spoken to the Secretary of State, Dr John Reid, last night and to the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, on Monday, I can say the two governments are ready to deal with these issues."
Patrick Smyth, Washington Correspondent, adds:
Mr Gerry Adams received a sympathetic hearing from Congressmen on Capitol Hill yesterday, despite nervousness about prospects of a Trimble resignation.
Mr Adams said he thought Mr Trimble would resign as First Minister, but not as leader of the UUP, and said that such a move would be "wrong, an abandonment of office and reckless".
He told journalists that leaders had a responsibility "to underwrite politics as the way forward". Of the election results Mr Adams said that Sinn Fein had increased its mandate "because people agree to our approach to managing this process".
Mr Adams had meetings on the Hill with the co-chairmen of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs and with the Chairman of the Friends of Ireland group, Congressman Jim Walsh. Mr Adams also spoke to a closed meeting of the House International Affairs Committee and met Senators Ted Kennedy, Hilary Clinton and Chris Dodd.