The Taoiseach and British prime minister are to spearhead a major drive over the next 24 to 72 hours to break the political deadlock after they responded very positively to a speech by Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, who insisted that the IRA's intentions were "completely" peaceful, writes Northern Editor Gerry Moriarty.
Pressure will now fall on Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, to accept that Mr Adams's comments indicated that the IRA was committing itself to ceasing all actions, and that this would be backed up by a third act of IRA decommissioning.
Mr Ahern and Mr Blair also accepted that Mr Adams in his keynote speech at Stormont yesterday was representing the views of the IRA leadership, notwithstanding Sinn Féin's insistence that there is a clear separation between Sinn Féin and the IRA.
"We think we are close to a solution," said a spokeswoman for the Taoiseach. "We welcome Gerry Adams's statement. We believe it represents a significant political advance," said Mr Blair's chief spokesman. Mr Adams also said a deal was still "do-able", but the Ulster Unionist Party said the Sinn Féin president's speech was a "disappointment".
The two governments said they were satisfied that Mr Adams had provided positive answers to two of the three questions put to the IRA last week by Mr Blair.
The Sinn Féin president's comments answered the second question, that the IRA was prepared to put all its arms beyond use; and also the third question, that the IRA's war effectively would be over if all remaining elements of the Belfast Agreement were implemented, said spokespeople for the Taoiseach and Mr Blair. Dublin and London, however, said Mr Adams had failed to fully answer the first question, will all IRA activity cease? On this matter Mr Adams said yesterday: "The IRA statement is a statement of completely peaceful intent. Its logic is that there should be no activities inconsistent with this." Mr Blair's spokesman said: "We need assurances that activity will not happen, not should not happen."
The governments appeared satisfied that such a commitment, if it is forthcoming, could again come from Mr Adams on behalf of the IRA. Of the IRA-related content of Mr Adams's speech, Mr Blair's spokesman said: "We are satisfied that this is the position of the IRA." A senior Sinn Féin spokesman reacted with irritation. "Our view is that the three questions have been answered positively, clearly, and completely. . .The IRA has demonstrated its completely peaceful intent."
To support his argument he quoted another of Mr Adams's comments yesterday: "In my view the IRA statement deals definitively with these concerns about alleged IRA activity, and any such activities which in any way undermine the peace process and the Good Friday agreement should not be happening." The Sinn Féin spokesman suggested that the governments had no real concerns about the "should or will" aspect of question one but raised the issue in order to provide some cover for Mr Trimble.
He speculated that irrespective of what the IRA said or did Mr Trimble was not prepared to ask his ruling Ulster Unionist Council to back a motion that after the Assembly elections scheduled for May 29th the UUP should return to the Executive with Sinn Féin.
Mr Adams further revealed at Stormont yesterday that the IRA had been committed to carrying out a third decommissioning act designed to assist Mr Trimble persuade the council to back the party returning to a power-sharing Executive with Sinn Féin.