Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams

Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and SDLP leader Mark Durkan have met for the latest round of talks on the stalled Northern Ireland peace process.

The two parties, who began the process at the height of the troubles, are seeking to breath new life into the devolution drive.

Republicans and nationalists alike want to see elections to the Stormont assembly take place as soon as possible in order to end direct rule from Westminster.

However the unionist community is demanding clear commitments from the IRA that it will give up its weapons for good before they enter a power sharing executive with Sinn Fein again.

Durkan is likely to press Adams to work towards this end and encourage a compromise that would suit both parties.

Meanwhile Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness is to make a new statement to Lord Saville's Bloody Sunday inquiry, rejecting allegations that he was planning a nailbomb attack against paratroopers in the 1970s.

Provisional IRA witness Paddy Ward has claimed that McGuinness and another IRA operative gave him detonators for 16 nailbombs for a planned attack near the Guildhall in Londonderry on the day that 13 civilians were shot dead by soldiers during a civil rights march in Derry in January 1972.

Britain's most senior soldier has also been recalled to give evidence to the Saville inquiry next week.

Chief of the general staff Sir Michael Jackson will face renewed allegations that he helped to cover up the military killings.