The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, held talks in London yesterday with the Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr John Reid.
The one-hour meeting was described as essentially a "stock-taking" before the British election campaign.
The two sides were agreed in their assessment of the situation, and on the issues - with policing chief among them - needing to be addressed urgently after the election and before the rescheduled annual meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council on June 23rd.