Sinn Féin leader Mr Gerry Adams still has questions to answer about whether the IRA was prepared to give up paramilitarism, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said today.
As the British and Irish governments met to consider the next move in the peace process, Mr Blair claimed the West Belfast MP's response to his three questions on the IRA future represented "some progress".
However he said: "I think [Ulster Unionist leader] David Trimble is right in saying that we don't have the basis that we need.
"All I am saying is that there has been some progress. I've put three questions because these are three questions which go to the heart of whether we can make progress or not because they are all about so-called acts of completion".
Mr Blair said he believed Mr Adams had answered his questions on whether the IRA was prepared to totally disarm and whether the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement would result in an end to conflict.
"But the third issue which has not yet been resolved satisfactorily . . . is there going to be an end to all paramilitary activity of the sort that gave rise to the very problems we have?" he asked.
Mr Blair would not be drawn on whether the Assembly elections in Northern Ireland would go ahead as planned on May 29th in the absence of that answer.
PA News