The next few weeks will be critical for efforts to reach a new Northern Ireland peace deal, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said today.
However, he cautioned that while all the parties had been close to agreement for months, they had not managed to seal a deal.
"The next weeks will be crucial," Mr Blair told his monthly news conference at Downing Street.
"One way or another they will decide whether people have got the final political will to get the job done."
"The grounds for optimism are that we believe that the issues separating people are very well defined now, and it is clear that all sides actually want an agreement," Mr Blair said.
"Whether that optimism is misplaced or justified, I think the next few weeks will tell."
