Ulster on brink of peace deal

An extraordinary set of documents today reveals how close Northern Ireland has inched to a peaceful future.

An extraordinary set of documents today reveals how close Northern Ireland has inched to a peaceful future.

It includes a draft statement from the IRA promising to adopt "a new mode" in which it would end all paramilitary activities.

In another, Ian Paisley's hardline Democratic Unionist Party pledges to share power in the province, even if it means sitting down with the IRA's political wing Sinn Fein.

Both were drawn up for release if the two bitter rivals had agreed to a complex deal, originally due to be signed today, leading to the restoration of Ulster's devolved government in return for IRA decommissioning,

But the deal stalled on one narrow issue - the IRA's refusal to be pushed into allowing photographs to be taken of their weapons being sent for destruction. The terrorist leaders regarded photographic evidence as "humiliating".

Details of the stalled agreement were released by Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern this afternoon in the hope that they would inject new confidence in the peace process.

Mr Blair flew to meet his Irish counterpart as Dr Paisley and Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams resorted to the familiar "blame game" over the deal's failure.