Blair to hold further NI talks
Tony Blair will meet Northern Ireland parties at Downing Street this week in a bid to reset in train the stalled peace process.
The Prime Minister met with the Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern over the weekend to organise arrangements for the meeting this week.
Mr Blair will hold talks with representatives from the political parties to find a way beyond the current impasse over the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Following recent elections, the Democratic Unionist Party DUP became the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
But Rev Ian Paisley’s party has rejected the Good Friday Agreement in its current form and refuses to hold talks with Sinn Fein.
Sinn Fein pushed aside the moderate SDLP to become the largest nationalist group.
Meanwhile, rebel Ulster Unionist MP, Jeffrey Donaldson, over the weekend said he may join the DUP. “I may decide to wait. Letting them throw me out is better than resigning. These are the issues I need to grapple with.
“One of my concerns is that if unionism remains divided down the middle then Sinn Fein will come out the biggest party at the next election.”
