The talks between the Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern and the British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair have finished at Hillsborough.
Mr Blairclaimed that progress was being made in the Northern Ireland peace process with discussions due to continue over the coming weeks.
This afternoon Mr Ahern and Mr Blair were at the centre of critical new talks with the Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble and the Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams at Hillsborough.
They also held separate meetings with the SDLP deputy leader Mr Seamus Mallon and representatives of other pro-Belfast Agreement parties before calling all the sides together for a round-table conference at lunchtime.
Just before today's discussions started, the IRA announced in a statementtheir intention to meet with General de Chastelain and called on the British government to deliver on promises it made on demilitarisation and future policing arrangements - a move which Mr Adams claimed would give the parties more space to negotiate.
But it was rejected by Mr Trimble outside the gates of Hillsborough Castle where he repeated his demand for the IRA to begin emptying their arms dumps.