The future governance of Iraq will top the agenda this morning as US President George Bush and British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, begin the second day of their summit at Hillsborough, Co Down. Conor O'Clery and Gerry Moriarty report from Belfast
The leaders began their third Iraq war summit yesterday evening with a stroll round the misty gardens of Hillsborough Castle before starting formal discussions over dinner on post-war Iraq. Mr Bush will hold informal talks with the pro-Belfast Agreement parties this afternoon in the company of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and Mr Blair, and the three leaders will issue a statement exhorting them to endorse the British-Irish blueprint for restoring the Executive and Assembly.
The snap Hillsborough summit comes as US tanks penetrated to the heart of Baghdad and British troops overran Basra, signalling a collapse of organised resistance by the Iraqi regime.
Anti-war demonstrations were held near Hillsborough but were not visible from the castle, where the two leaders are trying to recreate what a British spokesman described as a "Camp David" atmosphere.
"The hostilities phase is coming to a conclusion," said US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who arrived with Mr Bush in Air Force One at Aldergrove Airport early yesterday evening.
"It is time for all of us to think about the post-hostility stage - how we create a representative government consisting of all elements of Iraqi society."
Both sides sought to play down sharp differences over a UN role in post-war Iraq. Britain wants a closer role than the Pentagon is planning for.
A three-stage process will likely be agreed at Hillsborough: a military government lasting some 90 days, an interim Iraqi authority and finally an elected Iraqi government.
Mr Blair's official spokesman, Mr Tom Kelly, told journalists in Belfast last night that the UN had made clear "it hasn't the capacity, never mind the desire, to run Iraq".
Mr Powell announced that a US administration under retired General Jay Garner would move into Iraq this week, and that the future UN role would be to provide humanitarian aid and legitimacy to the interim authority.
"We'll be discussing with the Brits tonight, and we'll be discussing with other coalition partners and, ultimately, at the Security Council the nature of UN resolutions that would lay out what the role of the United Nations would be," he said.
"The coalition, having taken the political risk and having paid the cost in lives, must have a leading role," Mr Powell said.
The Taoiseach, who will travel to Hillsborough this morning for discussions with the two leaders on the Middle East and Northern Ireland, said he would tell Mr Bush the UN should have a primary role in the reconstruction of Iraq.
White House spokesman Mr Sean McCormack said Mr Bush's visit was meant to lend support to Mr Blair's efforts to conclude agreement on a blueprint for a return to devolved government in Northern Ireland. Mr Powell said it was very significant that the US was putting its backing "behind the Hillsborough Plan, as it is now called, looking for a breakthrough".
"This is a very significant step in the life of Northern Ireland," he said "We hope that as a result of the President's commitment ... we can get on with the process of decommissioning and all of the other things that are called for in this Hillsborough Plan," he said.
There was growing confidence in Dublin and London last night that their joint blueprint to restore devolution in Northern Ireland will prompt the IRA to demonstrate that it is no longer an active paramilitary force.
"The IRA know what they have to do - in short they have to demonstrate that they are going out of business," said one Dublin source.
Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble appeared cautiously optimistic that a deal can be done.
A Sinn Féin spokesman said last night that there were still a number of outstanding issues to be resolved before Thursday.
The spokesman refused to comment on the prospects of the IRA responding positively to the document but said that if the IRA were to react it would happen quite speedily.