The British Prime Minister will, hopefully, be able to fully engage in the peace process in Northern Ireland this week.
Under the shadow of a probable war with Iraq, in which he is playing a leading role with President George W. Bush, Mr Blair will join the Taoiseach and other party leaders in Hillsborough Castle on Wednesday for what could be the last serious attempt to restore the political institutions in Northern Ireland in advance of the Assembly elections next May. There is much at stake.
The Taoiseach and the Prime Minister will present a package of proposals to the parties individually with the purpose of achieving completion on all outstanding elements of the Belfast Agreement. The issues are familiar. How can Sinn Féin and the IRA demonstrate, once and for all, that the war is over? When will Sinn Féin engage with the policing process? How far can the British government move towards demilitarisation, especially with the sensitive security situation in south Armagh? And how can the necessary trust be restored in the unionist community to enable Mr David Trimble to agree to the re-instatement of the Northern Ireland Executive?
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, characterised the latest initiative correctly yesterday when he stated that the task in hand was to move from incremental management to acts of completion.
The problems of decommissioning, demilitarisation, policing and the stability of the political institutions have bedevilled the peace process for almost five years. The two governments now believe that the time for a graduated approach has passed.
The biggest hurdle to overcome in the new round of talks is the manner in which Sinn Féin and the IRA can demonstrate that the war is over. There is an acceptance in republican circles that one more act of decommissioning, even if it is in public, will not suffice. A timetable for total decommissioning, even if it were forthcoming, can only be tested and verified over time. Hence the speculation that measures to prove that the IRA will stand down may be the way to move forward in current circumstances.
The willingness of the IRA to bring "an end to the spectre of paramilitarism in all of its aspects", as Mr Cowen put it yesterday, will be the determining factor in the latest round of negotiations.
There will be demands for reciprocal "acts of completion" from others. Sinn Féin will be required to join the policing boards. Mr Blair will be called upon to dismantle military installations. Mr Trimble will be asked to guarantee the stability of the political institutions.
Mr Ahern and Mr Blair will present their best estimate of moves required for the full implementation of the Belfast Agreement this week. Time is tight. And the primary responsibility rests on Sinn Féin to persuade the IRA to verifiably demonstrate that paramilitarism is a thing of the past.