Ahern reveals North paper

The Government is preparing a comprehensive paper setting out its view of an overall political settlement for Northern Ireland.

This was revealed by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in the Dail yesterday. Government sources later confirmed that the paper would cover all three strands of the agreement being considered in the Stormont talks, including how the strands would relate to one another.

It is also understood that the British government is preparing a similar document giving its perspective on an overall agreement. The two governments' papers are expected to be drawn into a single document for presentation to the Northern talks.

Announcing that in recent weeks he had been "working up the overall paper from our point of view", Mr Ahern told the Dail yesterday that he formed the view before Christmas that it would not be possible to meet the Easter guideline if they continued to take each section in isolation.

"My view is that we should put all the propositions on the table and link them to the Downing Street Declaration and the Joint Framework Document. I equally believe that the sooner everything is on the table the better."

He also added that he was absolutely certain this agreement could not be put to the people "if there is the slightest inclination of fudge about it. It cannot be an absolute union on the one side or an absolute step to a united Ireland on the other."

Claiming to be still hopeful that they could reach a position where they would have made substantive progress in the talks by Easter, Mr Ahern said he would like to be able to put as much of the agreement together so that they could have "an inclusive and conclusive argument about what can be agreed". That was the way in which they would make progress.