Sinn Féin will be ready to form a government in the Northern Ireland Assembly on March 26th, the party's chief negotiator Martin McGuinness has said.
Martin McGuinness
Mr McGuinness was speaking following a meeting of the party's ard chomhairle in Dublin today to discuss plans for the the restoration of the institutions in the North, following Assembly elections in which it secured 28 seats.
Senior party members were also discussing and the upcoming general election in the South.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr McGuinness said: "This is a time of great hope and opportunity. It is clear that the vast majority of people on the island - nationalist, republican and unionist - want the process to move forward.
"Our approach over the next two weeks is to work for the successful restoration of the Assembly, Executive and all-Ireland institutions. Sinn Féin will be there and ready to form a government on March 26th.
Martin McGuinness. Photo: Alan Betson, The Irish Times
"Over the next fortnight the DUP have a big decision to make. They went into the election saying they are ready for government and they got a massive endorsement for this position. I hope that Ian Paisley will now see the benefits of doing the right thing. If they really want to move ahead they will find Sinn Féin ready to work with them to deliver in the interests of all the people."
Addressing a rally in Dublin to launch the party's general election campaign in the South yesterday, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said the key to getting into government in the Republic was its success in Dublin: "nowhere will be more important than here in Dublin city".
Mr Adams said Sinn Féin was an all-Ireland party and just as it was ready for political power in the North it was also "seeking a mandate for government here in the South".