A British spokesman has said his government now has "good cause for optimism" that the issues preventing the restoration of Stormont can be resolved this week. He was speaking as the two governments prepare to chair talks with the North's parties in Belfast today. Dan Keenan and Mark Brennock report.
Dublin sources were privately more cautious last night about the prospects for such a quick resolution, although one told The Irish Times that today's talks at Stormont were to "finalise" rather than "resume" efforts.
However, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said he thought major progress could be made on all the issues by the beginning of next year.
In remarks in Dublin yesterday, he also warned that a full resolution of the issue of IRA weapons would only come when it was clear that the power-sharing institutions were to be restored in a manner acceptable to all parties.
"The order now has to be: the institutional issue has to be resolved and then if we get that, then I'd hope we could make progress with the IRA, but you won't get it the other way round."
The talks involving the two governments and the parties take place today in a positive atmosphere following remarks from the DUP yesterday. The Northern Secretary also signalled that intense efforts to deal with remaining obstacles would continue to maintain a sense of momentum flowing from the Leeds Castle talks at the weekend.
Some Dublin sources said yesterday that the DUP appeared seriously engaged in the search for a deal and had recognised that they may be on the verge of extracting the commitment on an end to the IRA.
While the DUP is still insisting on institutional changes, which it says would make members of the power-sharing Executive more accountable and some other alterations, the Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, warned yesterday that "people in Northern Ireland simply wouldn't forgive us" if progress was made on ongoing paramilitary activity only to be blocked by technical problems on Executive and Assembly structures which many did not understand.
The Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, yesterday echoed this view, saying that if paramilitarism was dealt with to the satisfaction of all, "even the most diehard member of the DUP could not stand out against the demand for progress".
Mr Ahern said if the DUP's outstanding problems concerning the political institutions were technical issues concerning the relationship of ministers to the Executive and Assembly, then he thought they could be resolved.
However if the DUP was seeking a situation whereby the Assembly could override decisions of ministers, "we will not get agreement on that because that would not be in line with power-sharing, that would not be in line with cross-community consent; there's no possibility of an agreement on that basis."
Today's talks will consider possible solutions to what have become known as the "institutional issues", including proposals tabled at Leeds Castle last Saturday by the Irish Government.
However, the two governments are believed to be saying privately to the DUP that what is on offer in relation to an end to the IRA is of such importance that other issues should not be allowed to block a potentially historic development.
Mr Ahern yesterday held out the prospect of an end to the weapons issue which has dogged the peace process for a decade. "I think we can get a satisfactory conclusion on decommissioning, on putting arms beyond use, all of those areas, on policing. It won't happen tomorrow, but we can get a satisfactory conclusion on them all if we can sort out the institutions."
In an important signal that there could be a resolution to the institutional issues, the DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, said yesterday that he was firmly "on the optimistic side of the equation".
Robinson denies DUP is blocking progress; Sinn Féin says DUP out to wreck agreement: page 8; Blair may be forced into showdown on Assembly floor to break impasse: page 16