Leaders to hold more talks

David Trimble and Gerry Adams are to hold more talks

Further discussions are to take place between the Sinn Fein and Ulster Unionist leaders as part of a series of talks to broker a deal to revive the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams confirmed on Wednesday that he would hold more talks with David Trimble but would not say when these would take place.

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

Assembly elections were postponed in May but there is speculation that a fresh poll will be called before Christmas.

Mr Trimble and Mr Adams held their third face-to-face meeting in recent weeks on Tuesday.

'Network of discussions'

Mr Adams said on Wednesday that the talks had been "in many ways, the most important part of a network of discussions" on the political process.

He repeated that the British and Irish Governments "must be reasonable and rational about what is do-able".

Mr Trimble did not make any comment after Tuesday's talks.

He also met Ulster Unionist Party officers to discuss internal divisions over the recent British/Irish joint declaration.

On Tuesday, former UUP Assembly member Dermot Nesbitt said republicans needed to convince unionists of a permanent end to violence.

"This is about an issue that goes to the very heart of democratic values, the protection of democracy against the threat of violence," he told a political conference at Stormont.

Democratic Unionist MP Gregory Campbell said elections followed by negotiations offered the best hope of progress.

He said many of the problems in the political process had been ignored amid "all of the fuss about Sinn Fein, decommissioning and the countless meetings of the Ulster Unionist Council".

On Monday, SDLP leader Mark Durkan said he believed fresh Assembly elections were imminent.