DUP leader the Rev Ian Paisley has described as "forthright" the talks he held in Dublin yesterday with the Taoiseach during which they discussed prospects for the restoration of the political institutions, the "Colombia Three" and the plan to allow Northern MPs speak in the Dáil.
There was no sign after the meeting, however, of any progress towards the restoration of the power-sharing executive and Assembly in the North. The Government hopes the report of the Independent Monitoring Commission in January will say the IRA has remained inactive.
Dr Paisley told reporters after the meeting that the IMC had told him there was "no prospect" it would give the IRA and Sinn Féin "a clean bill of health" in January.
He said he told Bertie Ahern and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Justice, who accompanied him, of the DUP's opposition to any attempt "to include Members of Parliament from Northern Ireland in the internal workings of the Irish Parliament If it transpires that Northern Ireland MPs are to be treated on an equal basis with those who are members of the southern parliament, then we would consider that a quasi-con-stitutional claim on Northern Ireland. Such an unfriendly act of aggression against Northern Ireland's sovereignty would not be tolerated by us as unionists."
But Dermot Ahern said they had explained the Government's proposal "and I think a lot of the misconceptions they had about the idea were dispelled".
He said the DUP had mistakenly believed that the plan involved "basically a committee made up of the whole House in the chamber, and they were worried that perhaps some of the Northern MPs would be ex officio members of the committee which is not the case".
Dr Paisley said he had expressed "grave concerns about the arrival and continued presence of the 'Colombia Three'... Allowing these fugitives from justice to live freely within the Irish Republic is unacceptable." He said the Government should facilitate their swift extradition to Colombia.
Asked if saw himself sharing power with Sinn Féin he said: "No. Not with IRA/Sinn Féin. I believe as the Taoiseach has said and also the Minister for Justice has said, that terrorism must finish. The IRA has to be disbanded."
Mr Ahern said he had not heard anything to make him believe the DUP was reluctant to work towards the restoration of the political institutions.
There was nothing "in their remarks to say they were not going to go back into devolved Government and have the institutions up and running but it is quite clear they are going to... be cautious in relation to what might or might not come out of the IMC report." On the prospects for a resumption of the institutions he said: "Depending on what the IMC say, we would expect progress to happen thereafter."