The Northern Ireland secretary has met with his Irish counterpart to discuss the deadlock in the Ulster peace process.

Ahead of the review of the Good Friday Agreement, Paul Murphy met with Irish foreign minister Brian Cowen for talks in Dublin.

Both governments are keen to break the impasse which followed November's election in the province.

The poll returned Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party as the largest party and delivered a setback to moderate pro-agreement parties.

Tony Blair met with Bertie Ahern on Monday where the two leaders set in train the review of the Good Friday agreement and discussed how they will deal with Ulster's political parties.

Paisley has maintained that he will not enter into discussions with Sinn Fein, now the largest republican party.

Unionists have also demanded that the government take tough action against continued criminal activity used to raise funds for political parties.

Blair told the Commons on Wednesday that he accepted it was going on and was "completely unacceptable."

"We cannot expect people to sit in government attached to paramilitary organisations," he said.

As part of the Anglo-Irish bid to get progress it has been revealed that the DUP's leader, Rev Ian Paisley, is set to have an historic meeting with the Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern.

Though final details have yet to be arranged, the meeting is likely to take place next week at the Irish Embassy in London.

Meanwhile Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has claimed that the DUP would not play a full and proper role in the review.

Members would have to "face the same reality that led the Ulster Unionist Party to agree the Good Friday Agreement" he said.

"But this will take too long and the process of change and the rights of citizens cannot wait. The two governments have to face up to that reality," added Adams.

"The DUP has an opportunity to demonstrate its good intentions, but it must not be allowed to use the review to unravel the progress we have made."