(29 Jun 1999) English/Nat
Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned that the battle to kickstart Northern Ireland's stalled peace talks will be a formidable task.
Speaking from Belfast - where negotiations are entering their second day - Blair stressed the necessity of the disarmament of paramilitary groups before the formation of a new cross-community government could take place.
Tension is mounting for a breakthrough, ahead of the Wednesday deadline sought by Blair and his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern.
Outside the talks, the leader of the Democratic Unionists, Ian Paisley, told reporters that Blair was leading the people to Hell.
The leaders of Sinn Fein, the S-D-L-P and Ulster Unionists arrived at Stormont Castle to continue negotiations ahead of Wednesday's deadline.
They'll try and find a way around the Unionists' insistence that the I-R-A must start disarming before Sinn Fein is given its place in the governmental executive and Sinn Fein's assertion that there is no such precondition in the Good Friday Agreement.
Before going into the talks, Sinn Fein senior negotiator Martin McGuinness said the talks could continue into the night.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We know this is going to be a very busy day for all of us and it could stretch into the night and we're up for it. We think this is absolutely essential now that all the political leaders buckle down for the hard work of bridging this impasse and bringing it forward."
SUPER CAPTION: Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein negotiator
Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon, deputy leader of the S-D-L-P, said he was optimistic of a breakthrough.
He expressed hope of reaching an agreement between the parties either on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The prime ministers of Britain and Ireland arrived at Stormont together.
They both expressed the need to break the deadlock.
The Good Friday agreement includes the creation of a new Protestant-Catholic government to replace the past 27 years of direct rule by Britain.
It also calls for disarmament of paramilitary groups.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I don't think that anyone can understand the formidable difficulties that we face. But we've been here before and we've done it before and we can do it again. I don't have any doubt about that at all. We've got to know two things very, very clear indeed - the first is that there is a commitment by everyone as there is by us to set up all the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement, so the whole thing is there and properly implemented. And secondly, we have to know that the gun is really going to be taken out of Irish politics, that the weapons are really going to go in the way that the Good Friday agreement determines and in the way we are committed to doing."
SUPER CAPTION: Tony Blair, British Prime Minister
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern also said both elements of the agreement needed to be implemented.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
(speaking about the need to implement the two elements of the agreement - the new institution and decommissioning of weapons)
"We have to make sure that arms and guns and bombs and all that goes with that is finished. If we can do that I think we can build trust, we can build confidence."
SUPER CAPTION: Bertie Ahern, Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach)
Outside the talks, the leader of the Democratic Unionists -- which believes there is no place for Sinn Fein on Northern Ireland's executive -- spoke angrily to the media.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
SUPER CAPTION: Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionists
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