The joint leaders of Northern Ireland's power-sharing Executive are to meet the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, for talks in Downing Street, today. The First Minister, Mr David Trimble, and Deputy First Minister, Mr Mark Durkan, will hold the first in a series of joint meetings with Mr Blair on issues affecting the devolved government.
The Sinn FΘin leaders, Mr Gerry Adams and Mr Martin McGuinness, will also meet Mr Blair later in the afternoon.
A spokesman for the multiparty Executive confirmed that Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan were expecting a "range of issues to be discussed".
"It will be the first joint meeting planned with the Prime Minister since their recent election to office," a spokesman for the Executive said.
"A range of issues relating to the devolved administration and institutions will be discussed at the meeting, which it is anticipated will be the first in a series of meetings between Mr Trimble, Mr Durkan and the Prime Minister."
The meeting between Mr Adams, Mr McGuinness and Mr Blair was confirmed last night.
A Sinn FΘin spokesman said they expected to raise the issue of security force collusion with loyalist paramilitaries at the meeting.
Mr Adams said: "We are also very conscious of the annoyance within local nationalist and republican communities over the slow pace of British demilitarisation."