Irish PM cools election fever

Bertie Ahern: Tried to pour cold water on election speculation

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has tried to dampen speculation that a date in mid November has been fixed for elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Intensive talks have been taking place between the British and Irish governments, and between Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble, in an attempt to resolve the current impasse.

Northern Ireland's devolved administration was suspended last October amid allegations of IRA intelligence gathering in the Stormont government.

Both the SDLP and Sinn Fein have demanded a date for fresh elections amid speculation they could be held on 13 November.

They were postponed in May over what the British Government called a "lack of clarity" about the IRA's future intentions.

Mr Ahern reinforced his government's desire to see the assembly reinstated, but said more work was necessary.

"We want elections and we want to try to achieve a working executive out of those elections," he said.

"Everybody knows what is required but there is no package agreed at this stage, or even tentatively agreed."

On Thursday, Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy and Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen held a meeting.

They said it was up to the parties to prove they were willing to take the steps needed for stable devolved government.

David Trimble has been holding talks with Gerry Adams

Mr Cowen said there had to be "sufficient political will to satisfy the vast majority of the people on the island of Ireland that paramilitarism has come to an end, that it will stay ended and people are committed to exclusively peaceful means".

Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy said it was essential that people in the province had the promise of a stable government.

He said: "I think that people in Northern Ireland, the political parties actually understand how important it is to build the trust between each other so that they can establish devolved government."

SDLP leader Mark Durkan has called on the British Government to set an election date and go ahead with the poll regardless of whether political progress is achieved.

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has said a "limited window of opportunity" existed to resolve the current impasse.

Mr Adams said the onus was on the British Government to call elections to the assembly as soon as possible.

Bertie Ahern said last weekend that elections could only be held if there was a credible chance of an executive being formed afterwards.