THE parties to the Belfast Agreement were moving towards a resolution of the problems that had held up its implementation, the Taoiseach said yesterday.
"We are clearly moving steadily towards a resolution of the difficulties that have dogged us for too long," he said. "It is essential that we build quickly on this momentum so that the full benefits of the agreement can at last begin to flow."
He welcomed the statements from Senator Mitchell and Gen de Chastelain as "a very positive and encouraging step forward". He highlighted Senator Mitchell's increasing confidence that a way would be found to resolve the current impasse. "I think it is important that he has identified a consensus that devolution should occur and that the institutions should be established at the earliest possible date, and also that decommissioning should occur as quickly as possible."
Mr Ahern said the Government hoped the paramilitary organisations would respond positively to the call by the Commission on Decommissioning to appoint authorised representatives to it to discuss the modalities of decommissioning.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, urged both unionists and republicans to support what was on offer. "I would urge the unionist community to support David Trimble and I would urge David Trimble to accept the deal," he said. "The only way for unionists to find out if the IRA will ever decommission is by accepting this deal and putting it to the test.
"I would also urge Sinn Fein, the IRA and the wider republican movement including dissidents to support Sinn Fein in accepting this deal, as I believe Sinn Fein will do. Because, again, the only way they will find out if unionists are willing to share power with republicans is through this deal.
"The only way either side can put the other to the test is through this deal, and I would urge them to take the courage in their hands which is needed and to grasp it."
The Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said we may now be on the verge of the most significant development since the Belfast Agreement. "However, everyone will be conscious that there have been occasions in the past 18 months when hopes of a breakthrough were dashed by last-minute complications, often created by injudicious comment or deliberate misinterpretation of what was on offer." He called on all who wanted to see the agreement implemented to exercise restraint in their comments.
He called on the Government to emphasise again that as soon as the executive was established, it would move immediately to implement the changes in Articles 2 & 3 of the Constitution, already agreed by the people in the referendum.
Answering questions at a book launch yesterday afternoon, Mr Ahern said he would "never underestimate the difficulties" David Trimble faced. But he hinted that developments in the next few days could "dramatically help" the UUP leader.