Northern Ireland's politicians could be given a December deadline to form a new devolved government at Stormont, it emerged today.
Talks sources confirmed Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are expected to reveal a plan for reviving the Assembly during a visit to Northern Ireland on April 6th.
It is understood the proposals discussed by today in Brussels envisage the recall of the Assembly in May for an initial six week period. If it then fails to restore a power sharing executive, the British government will introduce legislation to park the Assembly through the contentious summer marching season.
Stormont would then be recalled in September and given a period of 14 to 16 weeks to reach agreement on the formation of a new executive.
A source said: "As the proposals stand, the Assembly would probably meet once in its plenary form in the initial six week period and maybe again in the second period. However the governments are insistent the 108 Assembly members will be kept busy and the bulk of the work will be done in committees.
"The committees will be asked to tackle topics such as the Review of Public Administration in the province, finance issues like water charges and the rates and education.
"The big issue is what happens when we reach the cut off point in December."
Devolution has been suspended in Northern Ireland since October 2002 following allegations that republicans operated a spy ring at Stormont.
Hopes of a breakthrough cam in July last year when the IRA announced an end to their armed campaign and in September completed their disarmament programme.
Unionists have remained sceptical and are insisting the organisation must end all its ties to criminality before Sinn Fein could be considered fit as a partner in government.
DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson today said it appeared his party's argument for some form of devolution to be put in place before an executive was being accepted.
While he welcomed suggestions that the Assembly would be given a role short of full-blown devolution, the East Belfast MP warned London and Dublin not to assume his party would accede to deadlines.
"I do not want the Government to be under the misapprehension that by forming a lower level of devolution and timetabling it for full executive devolution, then at that point there will automatically be executive devolution," he said.
PA