Blair talks with Trimble to save Ulster elections

Tony Blair tried yesterday to break Northern Ireland's political stalemate and save May's planned elections to the province's assembly.

The Government reimposed direct rule from London in October, suspending the Stormont Assembly amid allegations of an IRA spy ring in the Northern Ireland Office.

Unless devolution can be restored in the near future, elections to the Assembly are likely to be cancelled.

Mr Blair started a round of talks with Northern Ireland's politicians by meeting David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader. Afterwards Mr Trimble said the prospect of the elections going ahead was "increasingly problematic". He added: "The Government will have to take a decision on this and will have to take a decision fairly soon. There is a question of whether there is any point in having an election to an institution that no longer exists and what the practical consequences of that would be.

"We want to see visible decommissioning. We want to see it in a context where it is going to be completed and we want to see clear mechanisms to ensure that that will happen," Mr Trimble said.

The Prime Minister will meet leaders of Sinn Fein today and of the nationalist SDLP tomorrow.