HOPES for Mr Tony Blair's swift engagement with the Northern Ireland question were heightened last night by news that he will meet Mr David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader on Monday afternoon for the second time.
This followed Downing Street's earlier confirmation that President Clinton has accepted an invitation to meet Mr Blair in London at the end of this month.
Meanwhile, it became clear that - having found it impossible to meet in London on Thursday - the proposed meeting between Mr Trimble and the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, is unlikely to take place next week.
The meeting between the British Prime Minister and the US President - probably in the middle of the Irish election - is bound to focus heavily on the prospects for the talks process due to resume on June 3rd.
President Clinton was the first world leader to congratulate Mr Blair on his election victory. And he followed that up by urging the new government to take an early initiative on the North, coupled with a renewed demand for an IRA ceasefire to enable Sinn Fein to join an "inclusive" talks process.
But it was the speed with which Mr Blair arranged a second meeting with Mr Trimble - the two met for 20 minutes on Wednesday - which excited speculation that the new Prime Minister is eager to make early progress on the North.
During the election campaign, and most recently in his article for The Irish Times, Mr Blair insisted Northern Ireland would command the same priority from his government as from Mr John Major's. Mr Bruton emerged from his Downing Street meeting on Thursday clearly encouraged that this would be the case.
And it became clear last night that the Ulster Unionists, like the Irish Government, are hoping for an early and significant speech from Mr Blair setting out the objectives of his Northern Ireland policy. The expectation in political circles at Westminster is that this could come within weeks.
Last Thursday, Mr Bruton said he expected the British government would be spelling out the terms and conditions for Sinn Fein's entry into talks. And it emerged last night that Mr Trimble has urged Mr Blair to set out "his objectives and guiding principles" in order to allay unionist unease about the implications of Labour's landslide victory.
Senior unionist sources told The Irish Times they believed Mr Blair wants to get it [the North] sorted out quickly", and echoed Mr Bruton's belief that Mr Blair sensed his majority, and subsequent honeymoon period, were reasons for early movement.
The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, had a brief word with Mr Blair in the Commons earlier this week, and is also expecting to have an early meeting.
Meanwhile, Dr Mo Mowlam, the Northern Ireland Secretary, is also expected to make an early speech setting out the goals of her new administration - and her proposed "confidence building" measures, which will include structural reforms of the RUC, and new anti-discrimination measures following an imminent report from the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights.
But British sources have made it clear that confidence building measures will not extend to the transfer of Ms Roisin McAliskey from Holloway Prison in London to Maghaberry in the North. The sources said the extradition laws and requirements made such a move legally impossible.
Suzanne Breen, in Belfast writes:
The Tanaiste, Mr Spring, said he would raise concerns with the British government over the sectarian killing in Portadown, Co Armagh, of Mr Robert Hamill (25), a Catholic who died 12 days after he was beaten by a 30-strong loyalist gang. The RUC has strongly rejected allegations that it could have done more to stop the attack.
Mr Bruton said: "The full circumstances must be established beyond doubt in a transparent way that will command the confidence of the entire community."
Dr Mowlam described the attack as "an appalling act of sectarian bigotry".