Sinn Féin said today talks that may end a deadlock in the peace process were likely to start on June 18th - 11 days after the British general election.
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The party's chief negotiator and Northern Ireland Education Minister Mr Martin McGuinness voiced cautious optimism about the outcome and that nationalists' demands for policing reforms would be met.
"There is I think a real sense that in the aftermath of this election we will see the British government move to decisively deal with the unhappiness that we have expressed over the course of recent times," he told a news conference.
First Minister Mr David Trimble has threatened to resign as First Minister if the IRA does not start disarming by the end of June.
Mr McGuinness doubted Mr Trimble would carry out his threat. "I don't believe that is going to happen . . . The negotiations are expected to begin on June 18th.
"We are then into a very intense negotiation which I trust and hope will have a successful outcome.
"I have a fair degree of confidence that there is enough wisdom around, enough sense around and enough leadership around on all sides for us in the aftermath of the election to resolve the outstanding difficulties. We are certainly up for that".