Separate talks involving the Northern Secretary Mr Paul Murphy with Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the UK Unionist Party (UKUP) took place yesterday as efforts continued to find a formula to restore devolution. Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor, reports.
The current negotiations are addressing a wide range of issues but there is general consensus that the chief requirements for a breakthrough are an IRA commitment to end violence balanced by an Ulster Unionist agreement to work the institutions of the Belfast Agreement.
Demilitarisation, devolving justice and policing to Northern Ireland, human rights and equality are also high on the agenda but the governments and the parties acknowledge that if there was movement on the key matters, these other issues could be more easily addressed.
Talks insiders say the next two to three weeks are critical if autumn Assembly elections are to be called. Negotiations are at an intensive stage, they said, but added that it would take more time before any clarity is established on how the IRA might act and how the UUP might react.
The Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams joined former Sinn Féin lord mayor of Belfast, Mr Alex Maskey for talks with Mr Murphy yesterday morning.
He did not comment after the talks but Mr Maskey said some of the weekend speculation about an imminent IRA move was "probably inaccurate and certainly unhelpful".
He described the meeting as "useful" and said that devolving responsibility for policing and justice were two issues of great importance to Sinn Féin.
"The British government has not implemented issues arising from the Good Friday Agreement, long-standing issues on justice and equality and that is where our focus was here this morning," added Mr Maskey.
The SDLP leader Mr Mark Durkan met Mr Murphy later yesterday afternoon. He predicted that even if it were not clear that elections would lead to the immediate restoration of the Executive and Assembly, he was confident that elections would happen before Christmas.
"I want to have the election, and I want to have the restoration of the institutions, but regardless of whether there is a deal, regardless of whether it is a messy deal, a fudged deal, or a near miss like we had back in spring.
"I think the situation will slide back into an election anyway," added Mr Durkan.
Mr McCartney of the UKUP, who also met Mr Murphy, said elections should be called only if it was clear that they would lead to a viable Executive, which was not achievable in the current circumstances.
The DUP has yet to meet Mr Murphy. However, former DUP minister in the Northern Executive, Mr Nigel Dodds last night told a party anti-Belfast Agreement meeting that it was clear the agreement could not command the support of a majority of unionists. "We are almost one year on from the first anniversary of the fourth suspension of devolution here. If you bought a new car and it broke down four times in its first few years, you would ask for your money back. The unionist people are asking for their money back. They want a new agreement," he said.
"They don't want the old one patched up and put on the road again with another inevitable breakdown somewhere on the horizon," added Mr Dodds.
The Alliance leader Mr David Ford told the Liberal Democrats' conference in Brighton yesterday that republicans appeared to be still qualifying what was meant by an end to paramilitarism. They must not be allowed to "fudge" the issue, he added.