The IRA is "still very interested" to see the peace process succeed, a senior Sinn Féin source said yesterday (Wednesday) in the run-up to Monday's crucial political talks.
Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern arrive at Hillsborough next week to try to crunch a deal with the political parties on the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement.
The political atmosphere is a mixture of optimism and
pessimism about the possibility of a deal in the short timeframe.
As yet, no specific details have emerged as to what republicans will offer in relation to acts of completion.
However, this is not surprising given that previous negotiations of this nature with the British government have usually gone to the wire.
In public, at least, the Sinn Féin strategy has been to focus specifically on the British government's lack of acts of completion, particularly regarding demilitarisation, policing, and justice.
Yesterday at a press briefing Sinn Féin was asked if the British and Irish governments did not yet know what the IRA would deliver?
The Sinn Féin source said the governments were aware of the contribution the IRA has made in the past 10 years.
"The governments are under no illusion whatsoever about the reality that a successful conclusion of the negotiations around getting the Good Friday agreement implemented in full can lead to an enhancement of the peace process by armed groups, the source said.
"It is our view in Sinn Féin that a resolution of the political difficulties will impact in a meaningful way.
"Both governments are under no illusion whatsoever about what is deliverable."
According to Sinn Féin there is still much work to be done in relation to what was outlined in a 57-page document given by the party to the British government before Christmas.
"It is a total and absolute nonsense to say they don't know where republicans are coming from in all of this."
Sinn Féin emphasised that it passionately hopes the negotiations will succeed.
It appears that negotiations are continuing on a range of issues, not least of which is that of demilitarisation.
The British offer of a three-year evolving timeframe on normalisation is not seen as acceptable by republicans.
Certainly republicans are pressing very, very hard for swift demilitarisation in south Armagh and other areas.
They point to south Armagh as one of the worst effected areas and say the hilltop forts remain as blots on the landscape even though the area is one at peace.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams and chief negotiator Martin McGuinness had talks in Dublin with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern last night.
Today in London Mr Ahern and Mr Blair will meet for talks on whether they will be in a position to wrangle a deal next week.
