FOLLOWING a 2 1/2 hour meeting with Government leaders in Dublin last night, the Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, said the discussions on arms decommissioning had been "constructive".
The Coalition leadership told the UUP delegation to Government Buildings - during the first meeting of its kind - that it was closely examining legislation on arms disposal.
No conclusions were reached at last night's talks and no issues, relating to the internal affairs of Northern Ireland were touched upon. Although further meetings between the sides have not been scheduled, contacts are expected to take place on several issues before, the beginning of all party talks on June 10th.
Both sides described the meeting as "very useful". It had, said the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, "opened up issues for discussion rather than reached conclusions".
Speaking to journalists after his meeting with the Taoiseach, the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, the Democratic Left leader, Mr De Rossa, and officials, Mr Trimble said the discussions focused on the talks "that we expect to see beginning in June".
"There are obvious difficulties that we touched on with regard to participation of parties and how those talks will proceed. While dealing with those issues, we focused particularly on what would be called Strand Two and Three issues and didn't touch on matters that relate either to the internal affairs of Northern Ireland or the elected process or the convention that we expect to see coming from it," he added.
Asked about his "preoccupation" with decommissioning and parallel legislation in the British and Irish parliaments, Mr Trimble said this matter would be discussed again. The Attorney General, Mr Dermot Gleeson, had joined them during the talks to outline the legal position in the Republic, he added.
He denied he was trying to present legislation on decommissioning as yet another obstacle to talks. Instead it was necessary to put in place a correct process "so there is no delay when the time comes".
Mr Bruton said that gaps existed in legislation "in so far as the issue of arms being taken out of commission is concerned". The fate of those arms and the liability of persons alleged to have been involved with those weapons in the past would have to be examined, Mr Bruton added.
In a signal of continuing serious tensions between the unionists and Mr Spring, the UUP deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, refused several opportunities presented by journalists to retract his comments that Mr Spring was the "most detested politician in Northern Ireland".
When asked if he saw a direct link between negotiations and decommissioning, "and how that would work", Mr Spring referred to the communique of February 28th. It was "very clear" that decommissioning and the Mitchell report would be discussed as a "first item" and they would then move on.
Apart from Mr Trimble and Mr Taylor, the UUP delegation included the party's security spokesman, Mr Ken Maginnis, and senior party officials.