Crucial meetings take place this week aimed at calming unionist fears, writes Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, is meeting the Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams in Dublin today to explore what can be done to calm political and street tensions as Northern Ireland faces into the most threatening period of the marching season.
With Drumcree Sunday less than a week away and after a weekend of violence in west and east Belfast and in Co Fermanagh, the British and Irish governments are concerned that the political process could be further destabilised by violence and political uncertainty.
London and Dublin have also acknowledged that there is a crisis of confidence within the Ulster Unionist Party and Mr Ahern is expected to impress upon Mr Adams today that any further undermining of Mr David Trimble's leadership could ultimately weaken the Belfast Agreement.
Mr Ahern will join the British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair and the pro-agreement parties in Hillsborough on Thursday to try to chart a course away from political crisis. The meeting was called at the behest of Mr Trimble who is under pressure from both the pro- and anti-agreement wings of his party to adopt a hardline stance against Sinn Féin. He wants the governments to take the lead by threatening to expel Sinn Féin from the Northern executive if there is not a halt to violence.
Mr Adams signalled at the weekend that he is conscious of the UUP tensions, and that he wants to ease the pressure on Mr Trimble.
He repeated that "Irish republicans are absolutely and firmly committed to the peace process" and he was "totally committed to playing a leadership role in bringing a permanent end to political conflict on our island, including the end of physical force republicanism". Another act of conciliation takes places in Belfast today where the Sinn Féin Lord Mayor Mr Alex Maskey is to lay a wreath commemorating the victims of the Battle of the Somme, although he will not be attending the formal Somme ceremony at the cenotaph in Belfast.
The Taoiseach will today explore with Mr Adams what Sinn Féin can do to help restore unionist confidence in the political process and the agreement, according to Dublin sources.
Mr Trimble is under pressure from sections of his party not to engage with Sinn Féin at Thursday's Hillsborough talks. However, he denied reports that he planned to merely issue a statement to the meeting and then storm out as a means of protest. He would not "issue an ultimatum and then flounce out as some people want me to do", he told yesterday's Sunday Times.
Mr Trimble said it was essential that republicans demonstrated that they were absolutely dedicated to peaceful means of advancing their political agenda.
He added: "It is absolutely essential that (the Northern Secretary) John Reid gets a grip on what is happening by making sure that the police and the army are effective and that people are protected in their homes and that troublemakers are made amenable."
The Government will empathise with this final comment as Dublin is becoming increasingly concerned that the Police Service of Northern Ireland is not doing enough to tackle the street violence. Mr Ahern and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, are expected to raise the issue of policing on Thursday.
Mr Trimble also warned yesterday that the Hillsborough talks could be the "last chance" to deal with a "deteriorating" situation.