New push for Northern Irish peace
Tony Blair and the Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern meet today at Downing Street for more talks.
The leaders will discuss their next response to the Irish Republican Army’s alleged involvement in the £26.5m Northern Bank heist in December.
Northern Ireland police chief, Hugh Orde, and the Garda have blamed the IRA for perpetrating the bank raid and hostage taking on December 20th.
The IRA rejected the allegations and Sinn Fein says it believes them, claiming the allegations form part of a smear campaign.
Tony Blair warned Mr Adams last week “in the starkest terms” that his party could be excluded from devolution plans unless the IRA verifiably end paramilitary and criminal activity.
Both Mr Blair and Mr Ahern are convinced the IRA carried out the raid and the hostage taking on December 20th.
Nationalist leader of the SDLP Murk Durkan, will also hold talks with the Mr Blair later today.
Later this week David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, will voice his concerns over the peace process with the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s ceasefire monitoring watchdog is to publish its report on paramilitary activity in the province ahead of schedule in the wake of the raid in Belfast, the Irish government said yesterday.
A report from the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC), is expected to recommend sanctions against Sinn Fein, Mr Ahern told journalists after meeting the four-man panel in Dublin on Monday.
The IMC commissioners include Lord John Alderdice, Joe Brosnan and John Grieve as well as US government representative, Dick Kerr.
The biannual report – not expected until April – could arrive in London and Dublin by the end of the week.
“It was a very good meeting. We had a comprehensive and detailed discussion about recent events and the ongoing peace process and how we will engage in 2005,” said Mr Ahern.
“The IMC said it was their intention to complete a preliminary report into recent matters by the end of this week.”
