THE Prime Minister and Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam yesterday headed a pincer movement to kick-start the Northern Ireland peace initiative as the Easter deadline for the Northern Ireland Assembly concentrated the minds of the politicians.
Mr Blair appealed to the nationalist community to begin the decommissioning process while the Northern Ireland Secretary embarked on the first round of talks with Northern Ireland politicians since New Year.
Writing in the Irish News and the Belfast Newsletter, the morning newspapers for the Catholic and Protestant communities in Northern Ireland, Mr Blair said that ''a start to decommissioning would do more to create confidence between the communities than any other single step''.
Dr Mowlam, during a visit to County Armagh before meeting the Assembly's First Minister David Trimble, his deputy leader Seamus Mallon, and SDLP leader John Hume, urged all the politicians to take another step.
She said: ''The finishing line is in sight, all we have got to do is make sure we put the effort and momentum in to get there.''
She will meet representatives of the other parties represented in the Assembly later today.
Earlier, Downing Street indicated the latest round of talks would centre on the legislation that will be put through Parliament to enable the transfer of powers by early March.
A spokesman said it was ''a signal of the Government's intention to press forward and press forward as quickly as possible. The Government is committed to driving through the process. We are aiming for early March.''
While the Prime Minister is still hopeful that they will meet the Easter deadline, none of the politicians underestimate the difficulties that have yet to be overcome.
Even Mr Blair, who has consistently clung to the belief that the will of the majority of the people in Northern Ireland will prevail, acknowledged difficulties.
He wrote: ''The road ahead will never be easy. Once the new administration is up and running, the daily grind of working together will place new strains on all parties and all leaders. But it can be done. It will be done.''
The significance of the Easter deadline cannot be overestimated since the difficulties will only increase if it is not met. Not only is it the first anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, but the marching season, elections, and the long-awaited Patten report on the RUC will follow soon after Easter.
The immediate deadline is next Monday, when the Assembly will meet for the first time this year. Already there is a potential controversy as the Unionists have indicated they want ''to note'' the agreement reached on the executive in December, while the nationalists want it approved. Already the Democratic Unionist Party have dismissed Mr Blair's article as ''soft words''.
Mr Ian Paisley Junior said: ''We've had a lot of words from Tony Blair, but very little action on confronting decommissioning.
''He's not tough on terror nor on the causes of terror, and I don't think anyone believes his commitment on decommissioning.''
His father, the Rev Ian Paisley tried to put more pressure on Mr Trimble, called on him to sort out decommissioning.
He said: ''The IRA/Sinn Fein seem set to go to court over the matter of being allowed into an executive without prior decommissioning and it is now up to David Trimble to keep his pre-election promises and sort out the mess he's got us into.''
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