Dublin, London envisage new pact

Britain and Ireland will have to sign a new treaty ahead of the establishment of North-South bodies, it emerged yesterday from talks here between the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair.

The hour-long talks, ahead of the European summit, were largely an attempt to pull together the work being done by officials during the last three weeks, and to discuss the formulae being considered by Gen John de Castelain to advance the decommissioning process, a Government spokesman said.

Mr Blair and Mr Ahern spent almost half the meeting alone without officials, when they are understood to have focused on the decommissioning issue and the appointment of the executive.

Both leaders emerged to stress their view to journalists that the best hopes for resolving the decommissioning impasse lay with the general's work.

The Taoiseach said: "Under the de Chastelain process we have made some useful progress in the last months. That is clearly the way of resolving this issue."

Mr Blair said: "We have a way to take the issue of decommissioning forward and it is part of the agreement." The two leaders also discussed the continuing impasse at Drumcree.