A comprehensive review of the peace process is needed if Northern Ireland's parties are to clear the obstacles to a restoration of devolution, the Alliance Party said today.
Deputy leader Ms Eileen Bell said after talks with the new Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, at Stormont that the two governments should avoid the kind of "stop-start" talks process that they have engaged in with unionists and republicans in the past.
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Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy: due to meet Ulster Unionist Party leader Mr David Trimble and SDLP Mr leader Mark Durkan at Stormont today
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The North Down MLA said: "We had a very, very good and constructive meeting with him where we aired our concerns about suspension and the fact that we want that suspension of devolution to be as short as possible.
"We want to look at the review and we want a complete review done because we feel it is necessary so that we don't have the stop start situations in the future" she said..
"He has agreed with us and he has looked at it and I think we can expect within the week a statement from him after listening to all the parties as to where we go from here".
Mrs Bell who was joined at the meeting by Assembly colleague Mr Kieran McCarthy repeated the need for the IRA and other paramilitaries to end all activities. Republicans, she said, did not need any private army to help them.
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Mr Murphy was also due to meet Ulster Unionist Party leader Mr David Trimble and SDLP Mr leader Mark Durkan at Stormont today.
Mr Trimble is expected to tell Mr Murphy that if his party were to return to a power-sharing administration with Sinn Féin, it would need a clear demonstration from republicans that the IRA would end all paramilitary activity.
Mr Durkan is likely to urge the new Northern Ireland Secretary to speedily convene talks and involve all parties in a collective effort to deliver the full implementation of the Belfast Agreement.
PA