The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has confirmed that Northern Assembly elections will take place on 7 March.Mr Blair was speaking after meeting Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at Downing Street this evening.
Earlier, the Irish and British governments welcomed the latest report by the Independent Monitoring Commission which said the IRA remained committed to following a political path.
The IMC gave an upbeat assessment of how the IRA had abandoned terrorism and violence.
However, while the report stressed the IRA no longer sanctioned criminality, it noted some individuals continued to be involved in fuel laundering, smuggling and tax evasion.
Mr Ahern welcomed what he described as the 'positive and significant' comments made by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams yesterday about support for the PSNI.
The Sinn Féin President indicated he will be urging his constituents to start giving practical on-the-ground support to the PSNI.
He said there should be 'no equivocation, no qualifications and no conditions' on the issue of support for the police when dealing with crimes against the people.
Mr Adams' comments were noted and welcomed by pragmatists in the DUP, Sinn Féin's prospective power-sharing partners.
Sinn Féin's Ard-Chomhairle met in Dublin this afternoon to review the weekend Ard-Fheis and the vote for change on policing policy.
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