DUP, Sinn Fein Lead In N. Ireland Election

Hard-Line Protestant, Catholic Parties Likely To Strengthen Hold In Assembly

(AP)  The prime ministers of Britain and Ireland, Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, said the election demonstrated Northern Ireland's appetite for power-sharing now.

"The message of the electorate is clear," they said in a joint statement. "After so many years of frustration and disappointment, they want Northern Ireland to move on to build a better future together..."

Blair and Ahern, who have spent a decade closely cooperating on Northern Ireland, insist the new assembly must form an administration by next week, so that Britain can transfer control of 13 government departments to Belfast by March 26.

If that deadline is missed, Britain has promised to disband the assembly the following day, effectively giving up on a decade of toiling to deliver a power-sharing system.

But Paisley dismisses the deadline as a bluff and has not committed to cooperating with Sinn Fein, which for decades supported the IRA's failed 1970-1997 campaign to force Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom and into the Republic of Ireland.

Paisley has soared in Protestant popularity on a platform vowing never to work with Sinn Fein unless the IRA disbands and Sinn Fein accepts British law and order.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams — who wants his party to gain power in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, which faces its own parliamentary elections in mid-2007 — has come close to delivering Paisley's demands.

The IRA renounced violence and surrendered its weapons stockpiles in 2005. International experts last year said the outlawed group had stopped recruiting and training members, and disbanded units responsible for military planning, such as smuggling and designing weapons.

Adams last month rallied overwhelming support from Sinn Fein's grass-roots members for a policy U-turn — to begin cooperating with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

But the Democratic Unionists say Sinn Fein remains unwilling to help police solve certain kinds of crimes, particularly those involving members of the IRA and other anti-British paramilitary groups.

[zootallures2]

Little do they know, they are all really MI5 agents...lol.

[neoconrcrazy]

A good example for a new Israel - power sharing with the Palestinians.