Taoiseach calls for calm after blueprint decision

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has warned the pro-Agreement parties in Northern Ireland to remain "cool and calm" following the decision not to publish the Anglo-Irish blueprint for progress today.

He acknowledged the situation was difficult, but insisted it could still be resolved . "I have been talking to Prime Minister Blair, we are not blaming anybody," he said. "There are difficulties still to be resolved, we have time to resolve them. It is a time for people to keep just calm and cool and try to resolve them.

"I believe it can be resolved but it means everybody has to do a bit more work," Mr Ahern said. "But in the meantime going to Hillsborough would be a pointless exercise so I will go to London and we will assess where we are."

The Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble insisted that the British and Irish governments were right to take the decision. He said the peace process could not be "held to ransom" by Sinn Féin and the IRA.

"We told them that they had to be genuine about `acts of completion'," he said. "Yesterday, in the House of Commons, I warned the Secretary of State about releasing a paper unless they were sure of an adequate response from Republicans. Clearly, my concerns were well founded, as events today bear out."

The SDLP leader, Mr Mark Durkan, called on London and Dublinto stick by the terms of their joint declaration.

"I am saying that today with all the doubts and difficulties that havebeen created by the non-event at Hillsborough today following all thehype, the governments should be making it very clear that oneunderlying certainty amid all the confusion and constellation is thatthe declaration that they have worked on is the declaration they willbe sticking to."

Sinn Féin national chairman Mr Mitchel McLaughlin pointed out that the main stumbling blocks to agreement remained policing and justice, as well as the issue of sanctions. He also accused unionists of providing a clear commitment from unionists that they would not collapse the institutions again.

"These are issues we feel needed to be addressed," he said. "But our view is that the Government should publish their paper and their public commitments on a range of other issues."

Public confidence depends on a successful outcome to today's talks in London, according to the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny. He called on all parties, "particularly Sinn Féin, to take their responsibilities seriously so that the required acts of completion can be agreed without further delay."

The leader of the Labour Party, Mr Pat Rabbitte, called on all parties involved to live up to their obligations. "People all over this island willtake a very harsh view of any party that seeks to block or undermine progressfor the sake of narrow political advantage," he said. "The Republican Movement, inparticular, will never be forgiven if they renege on their obligations andundermine this opportunity for progress."

Women's Coalition MLA Ms Monica McWilliams was angered by the delay. "Parties have had five years since the Agreement was signed, seven months suspension and five weeks since the first round of the Hillsborough talks to get this right," the South Belfast MLA said. "This is outrageous for pro-Agreement parties and the public alike. This is not a good way to mark the fifth anniversary of the Agreement."

Mr David Ford, leader of the Alliance party, claimed the postponement was due to the governments' failure to include all sides in the negotiations. "It's clear that the process in recent weeks has been neither open nor inclusive and I believe that has contributed to the difficulties we now find ourselves in," he said.

Additional Reporting: PA