The Canadian General tasked with securing paramilitary decommissioning can help boost unionist confidence in the process, Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness arguedtoday.
As the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, meet to discuss the peace process on the fringes of the EU summit in Rome, Mr McGuinnessacknowledged unionist concerns about the way IRA disarmament had previously been conducted.
The Mid Ulster MP said: "Obviously what I want to see is General (John) deChastelain, in the context of us being able to get armed groups to put weaponsbeyond use, to come out in a very credible way and to say as much is as possiblefor him within the confines of what was agreed between him and the armedgroups.
"That is something which will give confidence to people in the process."We are not immune to the arguments."
As head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning,General de Chastelain has witnessed two acts of decommissioning by the IRA andone by the Loyalist Volunteer Force.
He has also held talks with representatives of the Ulster Volunteer Force andRed Hand Commando and the Ulster Defence Association/Ulster Freedom Fighters.
In October 2001, the General reported the first IRA act of putting arms beyonduse, describing it as "significant".
In April 2002, General de Chastelain claimed a second "substantial" cache ofIRA weapons was put beyond use.However unionists have been critical of the process, with hardline UlsterUnionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson describing it as "a farce".
In recent weeks, Sinn Féin leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness have beeninvolved in five face to face meetings with Ulster Unionist leader DavidTrimble.
Both leaderships have been trying to restore devolution in Northern Irelandwhich collapsed last May amid allegations of IRA spying.
Sinn Féin has been pressing for Assembly Elections in Northern Ireland beforeChristmas following their cancellation earlier this year by Prime Minister TonyBlair.
When he cancelled the poll in May, Mr Blair said he felt they would not haveproduced a workable Assembly because the IRA had not announced an end to allparamilitary activity.
Republicans have so far failed to confirm the IRA will end all recruiting,training, targeting, intelligence gathering, weapons importation and involvementin all violence.
At a meeting of their executive yesterday, David Trimble's Ulster Unionistsinsisted there needed to be clarity that "the transition from violence toexclusively peaceful and democratic means is being brought to an unambiguous anddefinitive conclusion before the Assembly is restored".
"That clarity must be defined, including the timescale, and Government mustface the issue of how we progress if the transition is not completed."
Sinn Féin has also urged the Irish and British Governments to address concernsrepublicans have about the devolution of policing and justice powers fromWestminster, the scaling down of the Army presence in Northern Ireland, humanrights and equality issues and prisoners' issues.
Mr McGuinness insisted today republicans did not want to damage the"prospects of progressive forces within unionism" if Northern Ireland wasfacing a November or December election.
He told BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics programme: "Let me put it likethis - I don't want to see the Democratic Unionist Party, I don't want to seethe negative forces within the Ulster Unionist Party, moving into theascendancy," he said.
"I think that would be an absolute disaster for the peace process, a disasterfor the Good Friday Agreement.
"Those people who harbour the notion that there are people within the DUP atleadership level ... who will be pragmatic in the short term, I think they arebadly mistaken.
"Obviously, on the other side of the election, I want to see the restorationof the people's institutions - I want to see the work of the Good FridayAgreement continue.
"We're not going to get that with a successful outcome for people like PeterRobinson, Nigel Dodds and Ian Paisley."
PA