1993:
Dec 15 - The British prime minister, Mr John Major and the Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, announce the Downing Street Declaration. If the Provisional IRA stops its campaign for three months, Sinn Fein can eventually join the political process.
1994:
Aug 31 - The Provisional IRA announces its ceasefire.
Oct 13 - The Combined Loyalist Military Command declares its ceasefire.
Dec 9 - First meeting between British government officials and Sinn Fein.
1995:
Mar 7 - The Northern secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, lays out conditions for Sinn Fein joining all-party talks, including the "actual decommissioning of some arms".
May 10 - The Stormont minister, Mr Michael Ancram, joins exploratory dialogue with Sinn Fein.
May 24 - Sir Patrick meets the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, in Washington.
June 17 - Sinn Fein says it will hold no further talks with the British government.
Aug 13 - Mr Adams tells a Sinn Fein rally in Belfast the "IRA has not gone away".
Nov 28 - The British and Irish governments launch the twintrack initiative, hoping to pave the way for inclusive talks. It includes the establishment of an international body to examine decommissioning, and parallel preparatory talks.
Nov 30 - President Clinton shakes hands with Mr Adams in Belfast.
Dec 8 - The Provisional IRA rejects decommissioning, describing it as a "ludicrous demand".
1996:
Jan 24 - The international body proposes six principles of democracy and non-violence as conditions for entry to all-party talks.
Feb 9 - The Provisional IRA ends its ceasefire with Canary Wharf bombing, killing two and injuring 100. It accuses the British government of dragging its feet on all-party talks. More attacks follow.
May 30 - Sinn Fein scores its highest vote in elections in the North, - 17 per cent for the Northern Ireland Forum, although it boycotts the new body.
June 10 - Mr Major and the Taoiseach, Mr John Bruton, open preliminary all-party talks at Stormont. Former US Senator Mr George Mitchell chairs the discussions. Sinn Fein is excluded.
July 11 - Violence erupts in nationalist areas after the Drumcree Orange Order parade is forced down the Garvaghy Road.
1997:
May 1 - A new Labour government is elected in Britain. Sinn Fein has two MPs returned to Westminster, Mr Adams in West Belfast and Mr Martin McGuinness in Mid-Ulster. The party records its highest vote in the North.
May 16 - Tony Blair says officials will hold exploratory talks with Sinn Fein. He tells republicans: "The settlement train is leaving. I want you on that train. But it is leaving anyway, and I will not allow it to wait for you."
May 21 - Sinn Fein holds talks with British government officials.
June 25 - The two governments put forward decommissioning proposals. Mr Blair says he wants substantive talks to begin in September and to conclude by May 1998.
July 6 - There is violence in nationalist areas after the RUC forces the Drumcree Orange march down the Garvaghy Road.
July 10 - The Orange Order cancels or re-routes four July 12th marches in nationalist areas, fearing "possible loss of life".
July 19 - The Provisional IRA announces it will restore its 1994 ceasefire from noon the next day.
July 21 - The UK Unionist Party quits the Stormont talks, protesting at the "softening" of the British government's position on decommissioning. It is followed by the DUP.
Aug 26 - An international body on decommissioning, headed by Canadian Gen John de Chastelain, is set up.
Aug 29 - Dr Mowlam declares the Provisional IRA ceasefire adequate for Sinn Fein to join the talks.
Sep 9 - The talks resume after the summer break. Sinn Fein attends for the first time and subscribes to the Mitchell principles. This leads to a split in the Provisional IRA and the formation of the "Real" IRA which accuse the Provisionals of a sell-out.
Sep 17 - The Ulster Unionists join the talks.
Oct 7 - Substantive negotiations commence.
Oct 13 - Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness meet Mr Blair for the first time at Stormont's Castle Buildings.
Dec 11 - Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness visit Downing Street.
Dec 27 - The LVF leader Billy Wright is shot dead in the Maze prison by the INLA. In next month, seven Catholics and one Protestant are killed. The LVF is blamed for many of the murders, but there is growing suspicion of mainstream loyalist involvement.
1998:
Jan 9 - Dr Mowlam holds talks in the Maze prison with loyalist inmates to persuade them to support peace process.
Jan 12 - The British and Irish governments put forward a series of propositions on Heads of Agreement.
Jan 17 - Sinn Fein formally rejects the British and Irish proposals.
Jan 21 - The Provisional IRA rejects the plan.
Jan 22 - RUC Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan says the Ulster Freedom Fighters were involved in recent killings, putting pressure on Mr Blair to review the presence of its political wing, the Ulster Democratic Party, in the talks.
Jan 23 - The UFF admits its part in the killings.
Jan 26 - The talks move to London and the UDP quits ahead of its expected expulsion.
Jan 29 - Mr Blair announces a new Bloody Sunday inquiry.
Feb 10 - UDA man Robert Dougan is shot dead. The Provisional IRA is blamed and calls follow for Sinn Fein to be thrown out of the talks.
Feb 14 - Three men are charged with murders, including that of Dougan. The charges are later withdrawn.
Feb 20 - Sinn Fein is suspended from the talks because of Sir Ronnie's assessment of Provisonal IRA violence. Republican dissidents bomb Moira, Co Down.
Feb 23 - A car bomb explodes in Portadown, Co Armagh. Republican dissidents are responsible. The UDP rejoins the talks.
March 3 - Friends Philip Allen, a Protestant, and Damien Trainor, a Catholic, are shot dead by the LVF in Poyntzpass, Co Armagh.
March 23 - Talks resume at Stormont with Sinn Fein back after serving its suspension.
April 10 - After intensive talks, the Belfast Agreement is reached. The participants sign up to a "total and absolute commitment to exclusively democratic and peaceful means of resolving differences on political issues". On decommissioning, they promise to "use any influence they may have" to achieve decommissioning of all paramilitary arms within two years, within the context of the implementation of the overall settlement.
April 27 - The former Hong Kong governor, Mr Chris Patten, is to be the chairman of the independent commission on policing, which will report on the future of the RUC. April 30 - The Provisional IRA says it has no plans to decommission.
May 23 - The Belfast Agreement receives 71 per cent support in a referendum in the North and 94 per cent in the Republic.
June 27 - The Assembly is elected, with pro-agreement parties taking a majority of the 108 seats.
June 29 - The Orange Order Drumcree parade is banned. There are violent protests from Protestants.
July 1 - The Assembly meets for first time. Mr David Trimble is elected First Minister and Mr Seamus Mallon of the SDLP becomes deputy.
July 12 - Three young brothers are killed in a loyalist petrol bomb attack in Ballymoney, Co Antrim.
Aug 15 - A car bomb in Omagh, Co Tyrone, killing 28 - another person dies several weeks later. It is the single deadliest paramilitary attack in the North. The "Real" IRA admits responsibility and later calls a ceasefire.
Oct 16 - The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, and Mr Trimble are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Oct 31 - The de facto deadline for establishing the executive passes, with no deal on decommissioning.
1999:
March 10 - The next deadline passes. March 15 - The solicitor, Ms Rosemary Nelson, is killed by a loyalist car bomb in Lurgan, Co Armagh, amidst allegations of security force collusion.
April 1 - Hillsborough Castle talks on the formation of the administration are adjourned following a failure to reach agreement.
May 15 - Mr Blair fixes a new "absolute" deadline of June 30th for the parties to break the decommissioning deadlock.
May 28 - The Provisional IRA returns the remains of Eamon Molloy, one of the "disappeared" and gives details of the graves of nine other people it killed.
June 22 - Mr Trimble calls on Mr Blair to sack Dr Mowlam, accusing her of turning a blind eye to repeated Provisional IRA ceasefire violations. The freeing of Brighton bomber Patrick Magee under the early-release scheme causes outrage among unionists.
June 24 - 300lb of fertiliser and bomb-making equipment is found by gardai in a van in Manorcunningham, Co Donegal, which was being driven towards the Border. Two men later charged enter the Provisional IRA wing of Portloaise prison.
June 25 - Mr Blair warns that the North is "staring into the abyss". He calls on republicans to make a commitment to disarm in return for entry into the executive.
June 27 - Mr Trimble challenges Sinn Fein to commit itself to full Provisional IRA disarmament by May 2000.
June 28 - The Parades Commission bans the Drumcree Orange Order parade from the Garvaghy Road.
June 29 - Gen John de Chastelain's international body on decommissioning agrees to delay its report until the next day because, according to the British Prime Minister's official spokesman, "real progress" is being made in the all-party talks. Gardai searching for the bodies of two of the "disappeared" - Brian McKinney and John McClory - uncover human remains at a site at Colgagh, Co Monaghan.