Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble today vowed to block a restoration of the power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland because of the IRA's refusal to declare its terrorist campaign is over.
With a majority of the parties in the process expecting British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair to confirm May 29th as the date for new elections to the Stormont Assembly, Mr Trimble vowed to keep republicans out of the decision making process until the IRA abandoned the gun and effectively stood down.
Uncertainty about next month's poll heightened as the Irish and British governments tried to persuade the republican leadership to give further clarification of IRA intentions and end lingering doubts in Dublin, London and Washington about their long term commitment to the peace process.
Party nominations for the 108 seats are due to close on Tuesday week, May 6th, leaving the Taoiseach Mr Ahern and Mr Blair under intense pressure to make some sort of judgement call on the election, possibly no later than Wednesday of this week.
Both governments tonight insisted they were still sticking by May 29th.
But even if the elections go ahead without the IRA meeting both governments and unionist demands declaring an end to paramilitarism, Mr Trimble warned there would be no new executive after the votes had been counted.
Mr Trimble said the Ulster Unionists had turned down an offer of a major act of IRA decommissioning, claiming it would be a hollow gesture without the ending of all paramilitary activity and the winding up of a private army.
Mr Trimble said: "We have created space for all paramilitaries, but still they want to have it both ways. That is not possible."
He added: "We have not come all this way to see the process and the opportunity for a stable Northern Ireland sacrificed because government may be tempted once again to agree to a fudge on this issue."
Talks between the Irish and British governments resumed earlier today to try and break the deadlock in the political peace process.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, met the Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, this morning at Hillsborough.
The suspended Northern Ireland Assembly was dissolved at midnight yesterday.
The two governments said they were satisfied Mr Adams had provided positive answers to two of the three questions put to the IRA last week by Mr Blair.
The Sinn Féin president's comments answered the second question - that the IRA was prepared to put all its arms beyond use; and also the third question - that the IRA's war effectively would be over if all remaining elements of the Belfast Agreement were implemented, according to a spokesperson for the Government.
However, Dublin and London said Mr Adams had failed to answer fully the first question - will all IRA activity cease? On this matter Mr Adams said yesterday: "The IRA statement is a statement of completely peaceful intent. Its logic is that there should be no activities inconsistent with this".
Earlier, the Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, said today further clarification was needed regarding the IRA putting an end to all its activities.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin the Taoiseach said he welcomed the statement provided yesterday by Mr Adams: "It was clearly a considered effort to try and break the current impasse. I think it has rightly been recognised as such.
"The statement represents a positive and significant advance as we see it. "The clarifications provided are important and they are helpful".
PA