By Brendan Anderson

THE North’s political parties travel to Scotland this week for a round of intense discussions with the Irish and British governments in a bid to resurrect the Stormont power-sharing Assembly.

A flurry of meetings in Belfast, Dublin and London has set the scene for the three days of what are being called “hot house” negotiations at St. Andrews in Scotland.

The governments have taken Nationalist and Unionists parties away from the public gaze in a bid to have them reach agreement before the November 24 deadline.

If a deal is not hammered out by then, the governments say they will close down the Assembly permanently and rule the North through a form of joint authority.

The thought of the Irish government having any significant input into the running of the North is anathema to most Unionists, and is viewed by them as a threat to force them into government with Nationalists.

Three of the four main parties, however, are prepared to work devolved government and the Good Friday Agreement, but the fourth, Ian Paisley’s anti-Agreement Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), resolutely refuses to sit in government with Sinn Fein, claiming the party remains linked to the IRA.

Despite impeccable eyewitness evidence, the DUP also refuses to believe the IRA has decommissioned its arms dumps and permanently ended its armed campaign.

Unionist hard-liner Paisley, however, appears to have mellowed in recent months and the governments are hopeful that compromise may be reached by the weekend.

In their latest report, published last week, members of the ceasefire watchdog body, the Independent Monitoring Commission, said the IRA was not involved in procuring weapons, training, recruiting or engaged in organized crime. The governments are hopeful the report will help remove at least some of the DUP’s objections.

Paisley said he welcomed the “positive elements” of the report, but added that the DUP “would not be bullied” into an agreement.

“There can and will be no toleration for those who are half in and half out of the democratic club,” he said.

This was a reference to another obstacle, as far Unionists are concerned — Sinn Fein’s difficulty in giving their backing to the North’s police force, the PSNI.

Veteran Republicans have trouble accepting a police force which they have, throughout the Troubles and for many years before, regarded as enemies who often colluded with Loyalists in attacking Republicans.

However, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said that, subject to certain changes in the law, he was prepared to call an extraordinary meeting of the Sinn Fein executive at which he would call on the party to back the PSNI.

During the negotiations, Sinn Fein will seek a settlement on the issue of the “on-the-runs,” those Republican activists who are wanted by British security forces. The DUP have replied that any form of amnesty for the on-the-runs “would be a deal-breaker.”

At a Sinn Fein rally Tuesday night in Belfast, Adams said it was part of the party’s responsibility to “keep the British and Irish governments to their stated public position that the time for stalling is over.”

“The process is moving on, one way or another. And let me make is clear here tonight that Republicans are up for change. We are up for dialogue with the DUP, we are up for sharing power with them and we are up for dealing with all of the outstanding issues.

“Let me also make it clear to the DUP that if they decide to hang about until some later date then they will also have to accept the changes which will be brought about between now and then,” he said.

On policing, Adams said, “Everyone now agrees that the transfer of power (from Westminster to Belfast) is required for a real new beginning to policing to be achieved. That will require further legislation and the British government is committed to doing this.

“Does anyone here think that the securocrats in Whitehall or the old RUC want anyone in this hall on policing boards or to see a republican in charge of policing and justice? Of course not. So let it be clear Sinn Fein’s focus on policing is about depoliticizing the police force and changing it from an armed wing of the state to a service for the people.”

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair gave the impression that he is cautiously optimistic about a deal being reached.

At a briefing earlier this week the spokesman said, “I think it is difficult to over-estimate the importance of this week. This is it. Last week we said that the IMC report on the IRA’s inactivity laid the basis for a final settlement.

“We are not taking anything for granted and there are still issues which could trip us up, but the fundamentals are clear. Unionism accepts that at some stage it will have to share power with Sinn Fein. The question is how and when, not if.

“Equally, Sinn Fein, according to the IMC report, accepts that it had to engage with the police. The question is how and when, not if. The issues are about sequencing, not fundamental principle.”