The Government is prepared to sideline Northern politicians under a "Plan B" which would be enacted if powersharing at Stormont is not agreed.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he would greatly prefer his Government to work alongside fully functioning Stormont institutions. However, he would consider an alternative without the Northern parties if an accommodation including Sinn Féin and the DUP was not reached.
Mr Ahern said: "Plan B ignores the politicians of Northern Ireland and the deals and co-operation and partnership basis between the two governments." He told Sky News yesterday: "We would have to do that because we're the custodians of the Agreement and we're the stewards of the process - but that is not by a long shot our preferred option.
"What the Irish Government wants to do is to work with an Assembly, to work with an Executive to have the North-South ministerial council, working with northern politicians on these issues and working east-west between the two governments."
Northern Secretary Peter Hain also referred to alternative arrangements which could come into effect if the Stormont institutions were closed permanently.
Unionists should not be concerned about any change to the constitutional position of Northern Ireland if a deal cannot be achieved, he said.
"There's no question of joint government. That would be in contravention of the referendum that the people of Northern Ireland voted on when they endorsed the Good Friday agreement," he told BBC Radio Ulster.
The November deadline for an agreement to share power in an Executive will be written into law and cannot be extended.
The Taoiseach and Mr Hain made their comments as Sinn Féin said its Assembly members would take their seats when the Stormont body is reconvened on May 15th.
Speaking in Dublin, Gerry Adams said: "Sinn Féin ardchomhairle met, following detailed consultation with our Assembly team, and after careful consideration, we have decided to attend the reconvened Assembly on May 15th. . . Our focus in doing so will be the formation of a power-sharing government on the basis set out in the Good Friday agreement. This also has to be the focus of the Irish and British governments."
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