'Now or never' for NI peace deal
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party has warned the IRA that it is "now or never" to do a deal on power sharing with his party in Northern Ireland.
Speaking after a meeting with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair at Downing Street, DUP leader Ian Paisley said a deal was closer than at any time in history.
But he said the people of Northern Ireland must be convinced that the IRA had put their arms beyond use.
"It's now or never," he said. "You must have done with your arms. You must put them away. Everyone must be convinced that the completion is a real act."
As Paisley met Blair in London, a Sinn Fein delegation headed by party leader Gerry Adams held talks with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern in Dublin.
Sinn Fein, a party linked to the IRA, has been pressing for Britain to withdraw troops and dismantle security installations in return for concessions from the IRA.
A new deal would involve the IRA destroying all its weapons, and a pledge by the DUP to share power with Sinn Fein, whose leaders it has long denounced as terrorists.
Northern Ireland's 1998 Good Friday Agreement established a devolved government and assembly in Belfast to share power between Protestant unionists, who support British rule, and Catholic nationalists and republicans who want a united Ireland.
But home rule broke down in 2002 after unionists walked out over allegations of IRA activity, and Britain reimposed direct rule from London.
Britain and Ireland have said they want an agreement on restoring power sharing concluded this week.
