The Democratic Unionist Party is to send a delegation to the British-Irish Parliamentary Body meeting in Co Kerry later this month, ending a 16-year boycott of the institution set up under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
In what is regarded as a hint the party is adopting a more positive approach to the peace process, the party's deputy leader Peter Robinson will lead a high-level delegation to the meeting in Killarney on April 24 th.
The BBC reports the party will make a presentation but will not take up positions on the body.
Labour Party deputy leader Liz McManus, welcomed the decision and urged it to go further by agreeing to participate in the power-sharing Executive when the Assembly returns next month.
"The announcement today that DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson is to lead a delegation of MPs to next month's BIIPB meeting in Killarney is a small but significant sign of progress.
"The ultimate test for the party remains whether or not it is prepared to accept the will of the majority of the people in Northern Ireland and enter into a power-sharing Executive with the SDLP and Sinn Fein," Ms McManus said.
The British-Irish Parliamentary Body consists of twenty-five members from the Dail, the Northern Assembly, the House of Commons, the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and a representative from the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey.
It consists of four Committees which conducts inquiries on matters of common concern.