British prime minister Tony Blair may attend the formal restoration of devolution at Stormont on Tuesday May 8th, it emerged yesterday, as the designated first minister and deputy first minister, the Rev Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, took two joint initiatives ahead of their official installation.
In the House of Commons yesterday the DUP leader invited Mr Blair to Parliament Buildings for the beginning of the "new regime". Dr Paisley said May 8th was a "firm date that is not going to be changed because the people of Ulster have set it in stone".
Mr Blair thanked Dr Paisley "very kindly" for the invitation which would be kept "very well in mind". It was not surprising that Mr Blair was not more definitive as Downing Street for security reasons is reluctant to detail his diary so far in advance. Barring very pressing British or world events, it would be surprising if Mr Blair did not take Dr Paisley up on his invitation.
Meanwhile, Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness have jointly sent a letter to President Bush expressing their sympathy over the loss of life in the Virginia Tech massacre.
They also jointly sent a letter of congratulations to the Irish cricket team on their performance in the one-day cricket world cup.
They also invited the team to attend an official reception at Stormont.
Mr McGuinness, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams and Wexford councillor John Dwyer met Mr Blair at Downing Street as part of a preparatory round of meetings ahead of May 8th.
Mr Adams said that "gaining a sufficient economic package from the British government" to boost the prospects of devolution succeeding formed a significant part of the discussions.
He expected Northern Ireland politicians would have another meeting with the British chancellor of the exchequer, Gordon Brown, before May 8th seeking additional funding.
Yesterday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern announced grants totalling €948,000 from his department's reconciliation fund to 39 groups involved in a wide range of cross-community and cross-Border outreach and reconciliation work. This is in addition to the £400 million already pledged by Minister for Finance Brian Cowen to assist devolution.
Like Dr Paisley, he too was positive about the future political prospects. "We have been making good progress in the weeks since March 26th and it is my firm view that we are now finally poised to see all of the outstanding matters resolved," said Mr Adams.
However, he expressed misgivings about the appointment yesterday by Northern Secretary Peter Hain of former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown to chair a review of parading in Northern Ireland. Mr Hain said that Mr Ashdown - the former UN high representative for Bosnia - would bring great "expertise and credibility" to the job.
Mr Adams said he had reservations about the appointment because Mr Ashdown served as a British soldier in Northern Ireland at the start of the Troubles.
Mr Ashdown brushed aside this criticism. "That was then, this is now. The past is the past, now is the time to look to the future," he said.
The Parades Commission will continue its operations while this review, which is due to conclude early next year, is running.
The review's remit is to make recommendations on how parading can be taken forward in a way "consistent with the shared future objectives of respect, tolerance, responsible citizenship and promoting equality of opportunity and human rights".
