The British government has today publicly called on pro-Agreement parties in Northern Ireland to begin round-table talks, prompting the Taoiseach Mr Ahern to consider changing his plans to fly to Japan and
the US later this week.
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Ahern:May cancel Japan trip
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A spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair said all-party talks, were vital to move the process on. “We need to inject some momentum into this process,” the spokesman said.
While no date has been fixed for the proposed talks, Mr Blair will discuss the issue with the Taoiseach Mr Ahern by telephone today.
A Government spokesman said the issue of round table talkswas still under consideration.
He said: "If there is a decision to hold round table talks theTaoiseach will be there."A spokeswoman for Mr Ahern, who is due to start a week-long trip toJapan and the United States on Thursday, said if talks werescheduled, the Taoiseach would delay his departure.
Mr Blair's officials denied the call for fresh drive in peace talkswas a response to the attack on Sunday, when a car bomb went offoutside the BBC's west London offices.
The attack prompted police to issue top security warnings, saying theReal IRA, a republican group opposed to the peace process,could well be planning more attacks.