AS THE multi-party talks broke up last night for another week the British and Irish governments and the Ulster Unionist Party agreed to a further round of meetings to try and resolve how the crucial issue of decommissioning should be tackled.
Decommissioning was top of the agenda when the two governments and the UUP held their first trilateral meeting of these multi-party talks at Castle Buildings yesterday.
The Tanaiste, Mr Spring, who attended yesterday's session with the Minister for Just ice, Mrs Owen, said progress was made on the issue but so far it has not been agreed that the matter should be addressed in parallel with a substantive talks agenda - a demand nationalists say is essential to the future of the talks.
Mr Spring believed the two governments had made progress towards satisfying the UUP that they will introduce the necessary legislation to deal with the mechanics of decommissioning, and how it could be validated.
The UUP deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, however, accused the two governments of "dragging their feet" on introducing legislation. It was the two governments who were delaying movement towards substantive talks because they had still to introduce the necessary legislation, he said.
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, claimed both governments were now agreed that Sinn Fein should be at the talks to discuss substantive issues "without any surrender of their illegal weaponry". He reiterated his party's stance that until such weapons were handed over the DUP would not attend the main element of the talks.
The SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, said it had been "generally" agreed that a subcommittee be established which would deal with decommissioning in parallel with other issues, rather than top of the agenda for immediate resolution. This was in accordance with the Mitchell Report, he added.
There was a short plenary session yesterday dealing with the Alliance Party's attempt to censure mainly the UUP and the DUP over Drumcree.
The two governments must now consider the Alliance indictments and the defence of the accused parties. A decision is expected early next week.
The Alliance leader, Lord Alderdice, has insisted he was justified in pursuing the matter. The DUP deputy leader, Mr Pete Robinson was dismissive, of the indictments.
The talks will resume on Monday. Meanwhile, the former US congressman, Mr Bruce Morrison, who is visiting Ireland at the weekend, said that for political progress there must be compromise on all sides. He said his visit, which was arranged at the invitation of Sinn Fein, was not linked to the speculation about another IRA ceasefire.
Mr Morrison, who was a key figure in discussions with Sinn Fein prior to the IRA ceasefire of August 1994, said he had "no special information" of an imminent ceasefire.
