1993: December 15: The Downing Street Declaration is announced by the British prime minister, Mr John Major, and the Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds.
1994: August 31: Provisional IRA declares ceasefire.
October 13: The Combined Loyalist Military Command declares ceasefire.
December 9: First meeting between British government officials and Sinn Fein.
1995: March 7: The Northern Ireland Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, lays out conditions for Sinn Fein joining all-party talks, including the "actual decommissioning of some arms".
November 28: The British and Irish governments launch the twin-track initiative.
December 8: The Provisional IRA rejects decommissioning.
1996: February 9: The Provisional IRA ends it ceasefire with Canary Wharf bombing.
June 10: Mr Major and the Taoiseach, Mr John Bruton, open preliminary all-party talks at Stormont. Mr George Mitchell, the former US senator, chairs the discussions. Sinn Fein is excluded.
1997: June 25: The two governments put forward decommissioning proposals.
July 19: The Provisional IRA announces that it will restore its 1994 ceasefire.
July 21: UK Unionist Party and DUP quit Stormont talks over decommissioning.
August 26: An international body on decommissioning, headed by John de Chastelain, a Canadian general, is set up.
September 9: The talks resume. Sinn Fein attends for the first time.
September 17: The Ulster Unionists join the talks.
1998: January 12: The British and Irish governments put forward a series of propositions on Heads of Agreement.
January 23: The UFF admits its part in recent killings.
January 26: The talks move to London and the UDP quits, ahead of expulsion.
Feb 20: Sinn Fein is suspended from the talks because of the RUC assessment of Provisional IRA violence.
March 23: Talks resume at Stormont with Sinn Fein back at the table.
April 10: The Belfast Agreement is finalised after intensive talks.
May 23: The agreement receives 71 per cent support in a referendum in the North and 94 per cent support in the Republic.
June 27: Assembly elected.
July 1: The Assembly meets for the first time. Mr David Trimble is elected First Minister and Mr Seamus Mallon becomes Deputy First Minister.
August 15: A car-bomb in Omagh, Co Tyrone, kills 29 people. The "Real IRA" admits responsibility.
October 31: The de facto deadline passes, with no deal on decommissioning.
1999: May 15: The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, fixes an "absolute deadline" of June 30th to break the decommissioning deadlock.
July 20: Mr Blair and Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, begin a review of the peace process. Senator Mitchell returns to Belfast to act as a facilitator.
October 11: Mr Peter Mandelson replaces Dr Mo Mowlam as Northern Secretary.
October 22: The pro-agreement parties reconvene at Stormont.
November 22: Mr Mandelson outlines a schedule for implementation of the Belfast Agreement.
November 29: The new power-sharing Executive is appointed at Stormont after Mr Trimble agrees to enter government in advance of IRA disarmament.
2000: February 1: The de Chastelain report is given to the two governments.
February 12: Mr Mandelson suspends the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive after Gen de Chastelain reports that he received "no information from the IRA as to decommissioning".
March 8: Formal discussions between pro-agreement parties take place at a round-table meeting at Stormont.
April 18: Mr Blair travels to Belfast and Dublin for talks.
April 20: Mr Ahern and Mr Blair meet at Downing Street. Meetings involving all the parties take place the following week.
May 5: The British and Irish governments put forward new proposals for restoring devolved government by May 22nd. Mr Blair and Mr Ahern return to Belfast.
May 6: The IRA says it will "initiate a process that will completely and verifiably put IRA arms beyond use".