A number of Northern political leaders will travel to Dublin today to meet the Taoiseach for a final round of consultations before the launch next week of a political initiative designed to get the Northern Assembly back in operation.
The Taoiseach and the British prime minister, Tony Blair, plan to meet in Armagh next Thursday to announce details of a plan they hope will lead to the establishment of a power-sharing Executive before the end of the year.
The leaders of Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Alliance Party will meet Mr Ahern in Government Buildings this afternoon to tell him of their concerns about the latest British-Irish initiative.
Sinn Féin had been critical of the Taoiseach for agreeing to extend the life of the Assembly beyond six weeks, but the party's chief negotiator, Martin McGuinness, softened that stance yesterday.
Speaking after a series of meetings in London, he said that any proposals by the Governments must give effect to the Belfast Agreement.
"Sinn Féin has consistently urged the governments to take the lead in driving forward the Good Friday agreement agenda and we are in daily discussions with them. The next short period is therefore crucial to the future of the political institutions," he said.
Mr McGuinness said that Sinn Féin was opposed to any shadow Assembly with committees scrutinizing the work of British direct rule ministers. The Taoiseach has already made it clear that a shadow Assembly is not part of the plan.
Mr McGuinness added that at its meeting with the Taoiseach today, the Sinn Féin leadership will emphasise the responsibility of the Irish Government to deliver on the Belfast Agreement.
"If the DUP refuses to participate, then the British and Irish governments must move ahead," he said.
Meanwhile, yesterday in Dublin the Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, pointed out that over €2.2 billion had been invested in cross-Border co-operation since 1994.
Speaking at the launch of a website devoted to cross-Border issues, he pointed out that a substantial amount of funding for cross-Border co-operation has come from the European Union.
On top of that, he added, the Irish and British governments have spent €712 million establishing and supporting the six North/South implementation bodies and Tourism Ireland.
As well as providing detail on the activities of the various bodies, www.borderireland.info will also carry information on education, health, agriculture, transport, the environment, tourism, business and community development.
This information comes from a wide range of bodies including universities, government departments and agencies North and South, community development organisations and funding organisations.
