Final stages for peace plan

Blair and Ahern: Proposals are being finalised

The British and Irish Governments are to spend Thursday finalising the package which they hope will end the political impasse in Northern Ireland.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has said he hoped to speak to Prime Minister Tony Blair later on Thursday.

However, the joint package may not be available to the pro-Agreement parties until next week.

The current crisis was brought to a head by the resignation of Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble as Northern Ireland first minister on 1 July because the IRA had not begun to disarm.

The document deals with the issues which have deadlocked the political process - arms, policing, demilitarisation and the stability of the political institutions.

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Mr Ahern said it was "difficult to give 100% successful conclusions to everyone's wishes".

"If we do put it out in the next 24 hours, I think we have made our best shot at trying to deal with all of the outstanding issues in as fair and as balanced a way as we possibly can," he said.

"There are not major difficulties between us, but we have to make sure that we have a package that we think is acceptable to everybody.

"That is a difficult task. We are trying to make sure that the work we completed a fortnight ago is something that we believe is acceptable, so far as it can be, to everybody."

Parades issue included

On Wednesday evening, it emerged that a proposal on the future of the Parades Commission, which makes rulings on contentious parades, would be part of the package.

The Protestant Orange Order, which holds most of the contentious parades in the province, did not welcome the news.

Grand master of the organisation Robert Saulters said: "We have made it quite clear that the Orange Order will not be involved in any of the political decisions at the moment."

Mark Durkan: "Judge package as a whole"

The parades issue was raised by the Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble, at the Weston Park talks.

Ulster Unionist Economy Minister Sir Reg Empey said the weapons issue was still the primary point for his party.

"It is a simple exercise. Either we are going to have a move from the paramilitary organisations, or we're not."

Appeal

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein said the UK government must prove that it is going to implement the Patten Report if the party is to sign up to its proposals for a new beginning to policing.

SDLP Finance Minister Mark Durkan, meanwhile, appealed to all parties to consider the governments' proposals in full before making any judgement.

Following Mr Trimble's resignation, there were six weeks available to the parties to find a resolution by 12 August.

At the end of that period, if there has been no deal, the British Government will have to either suspend the assembly - even if only for a short period to give more room for manoeuvre - or call an assembly election.