Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley has given his most positive signal yet that he is prepared to enter power with Sinn Féin following an election in the North next March.
In the face of acknowledged dissent within his party over the St Andrews Agreement, Dr Paisley said a powersharing deal was possible within the timeframe set out by the British and Irish governments.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Northern Secretary Peter Hain warned yesterday there would no point in holding the March 7th election without earlier agreement that Sinn Féin and the DUP would form a powersharing government.
Mr Hain said an election would be pointless if Sinn Féin had not called an ardfheis on policing before the end of January.
Mr Ahern, speaking in London where he addressed a conference of business leaders last night, expressed confidence that Sinn Féin would sign up to policing. He said it would be possible then to achieve subsequent agreement on a timetable for the devolution of policing and justice powers, as prescribed by both governments, by summer 2008.
Asked if there was no Sinn Féin ardfheis by the end of January and, therefore, no agreement by the DUP to form a government by March 26th, what would be the point of the Assembly elections, he replied: "There would be none."
Dr Paisley made clear yesterday that he was willing to see a powersharing government with Sinn Féin subject, chiefly, to that party signing up to policing and the rule of law. This was the case notwithstanding that some senior DUP members such as North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds and MEP Jim Allister had concerns about St Andrews.
In broadcast interviews with RTÉ, UTV, BBC and Downtown Radio after yesterday's reconvened meeting of the Northern Assembly, he said there was no challenge to his leadership, although there was the "odd squabble" in the party over St Andrews. "There are two or three people who had second thoughts about the way we are going. I think that is cleared up now. I think that we are all singing from the same hymn sheets at the moment, and we will," he said.
He moderated Mr Dodds' position that policing and justice would not be devolved for a "political lifetime", saying: "If Gerry Adams brings about the conditions by his actions that will cause the Protestant population to trust him, then doing that can very much deal with the timeframe."
He indicated he was conditionally prepared to accept the post of first minister, with Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness as deputy.
"I am not sure if I want it or not but I will accept it. I will do my duty to my country. I will do my best if I ever get the job to serve all parts of the population, as I have already done as an ordinary member of parliament," he said.
"If there is now going to be a good way of getting to a place where we can agree and agree without selling the kernel of democracy, which is obedience to the law, then let's do it," he said.