Adams flies to US as pressure grows on IRA

Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams flew off to the United States today as pressure mounted on republicans to end paramilitary…

Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams flew off to the United States today as pressure mounted on republicans to end paramilitary activity.

Mr Adams is preparing to attend a number of St Patrick's Day engagements as it emerged a commission set up to monitor paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland is to produce its first report before Easter.

Government sources said the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) would produce a separate report into the abduction of Belfast republican Mr Bobby Tohill ahead of schedule next month.

Northern Ireland police chief Mr Hugh Orde blamed the Provisional IRA for the incident. However, the organisation denied its leadership authorised any kidnapping.

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The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Mr  Tony Blair, said in Dublin yesterday that all parties knew exactly what had to be done to create stable power-sharing institutions at Stormont.

Both leaders vowed to step up the pace of talks in a bid to force a breakthrough in the Northern Ireland peace process. Mr Blair said a new phase of intensive talks involving all the parties would begin after the St Patrick's Day break.

Mr Adams claimed earlier this week that the Irish Government was contemplating excluding his party from the political process.  However, Mr Ahern insisted last night: "We are trying to do the opposite to that." Mr Ahern said only all-inclusive talks would lead to a lasting resolution of the problems in the peace process.

"We have no intention, no intention whatever, of leaving it to drift to local elections and European elections, not to mind to any elections that are to follow," Mr Ahern said.  "We really want to get dealing with it in the third week of March and we are absolutely committed to that."

Both men also welcomed the pledge to produce an early report by the IMC, which was set up last year to comment regularly on paramilitary activity.