The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has stated his intention to develop a joint strategy with British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair aimed at breaking the political deadlock in the North. Ahead of his scheduled meeting with Mr Blair in Lisbon last night, Mr Ahern said the build-up to the summit should allow the leaders "take a joint strategy that reflects a whole new way forward".
Mr Ahern said he hoped that "this side of Easter" there would be movement that could allow the impasse over decommissioning and devolution to be resolved. He would be holding discussions with Mr Blair on the fringes of the Lisbon summit with this goal in mind, Mr Ahern told UTV last night.
"We should look at that as the date when we could reasonably expect to have made progress. We are prepared, and I am sure the British government are, and I know the pro-agreement parties are, to do all we can over the next few weeks to take a joint strategy forward," said Mr Ahern. Meanwhile, the anti-Belfast Agreement Ulster Unionist Party MP, Mr William Thompson, has predicted that Mr David Trimble will face a challenge for the party leadership from a senior party figure on Saturday.
Up to last night no UUP member was prepared to come forward as a serious challenger, or as a stalking horse, against Mr Trimble ahead of the annual general meeting of the party's ruling body, the 860-member Ulster Unionist Council.
A senior UUP source said he was unaware of any challenger, but repeated Mr Michael McGimpsey's line in yesterday's Irish Times that if the anti-agreement grouping was serious it should have the courage of its convictions and put up a candidate against Mr Trimble.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein MP Mr Martin McGuinness repeated his assertion that Mr Trimble had not softened his position on decommissioning. He said Mr Trimble must demonstrate on Saturday that he fully supports the agreement.
"The sooner David Trimble makes it absolutely clear to us that he is full square behind the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement and actually goes in to bat for it, actually fights for the Good Friday agreement against the rejectionists within his own party, then I can do nothing but conclude that David Trimble is as opposed to the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement as Ian Paisley is," he told the BBC.
