David Trimble has called on the prime minister to "end the drift" in the Northern Ireland peace process.

Ahead of a Downing Street meeting between Tony Blair and DUP leader Ian Paisley on Wednesday, the Ulster Unionist leader slammed the delay in restoring devolution.

Speaking during a session of prime minister's questions in the Commons, Trimble said voters were increasingly confused as to what was taking so long following the Leeds Castle summit held in September.

"I welcome the meetings today on Northern Ireland," Trimble said.

"But does the prime minister appreciate the puzzlement of people there that now, 12 months after the election and over two months since he declared at Leeds Castle that he'd virtually got the issues sorted, nothing has actually happened?

"So will the prime minister this time, please, get a grip and end the drift that someone, somewhere wants to prolong?"

Breakthrough

Although Trimble's UUP is no longer the largest unionist party in Ulster, Blair paid tribute to his role in the process and tried to appease the concerns.

With Paisley's opposition to the Good Friday agreement providing the major stumbling block to restoring the Stormont assembly, the prime minister said he hoped the talks would produce a breakthrough soon.

"I hope that the talks that we are having today will be productive," he said.

"We are, and at slightly greater length than I anticipated, trying to resolve the outstanding issues.

"But I think he would acknowledge that provided that it is absolutely clear, and it has to be, that paramilitary violence is ended once and for all in all its forms, then there is no reason why the unionist community should not sit in an executive with parties, including republican parties, in order to govern Northern Ireland in a devolved way.

"I hope very much that it in the next few days, maybe a little longer than that but in the next few days, that we will be able to make progress that on the republican side there is a complete end to violence and on the unionist side an acceptance that, if that is so, there should be a return to power sharing."

Weapons

However on the Republican side, where Irish premier Bertie Ahern was holding talks with Sinn Fein and the SDLP on Wednesday, Gerry Adams has played down reports that the IRA is set to accept a role for bishops in inspecting acts of weapons decommissioning.

The Sinn Fein president did not deny that the move to ease the concerns of unionists over continuing terrorist activity could take place, but said no agreement had been reached.

"Every negotiation, particularly as it comes to a crucial point is rife with rumour and speculation," he said.

"This one is no different, though the reporting of speculation as fact is irresponsible journalism.

"None of the issues involved in the current effort to find a breakthrough have been agreed or closed on."

But Sinn Fein could back plans for the Northern Ireland assembly's rules on electing a power-sharing government to be changed in an amendment to the Good Friday deal.

Party chairman Mitchel McLaughlin said the idea of electing the entire executive in a block vote was "a proposal that is not going to cause Sinn Fein too much heartache".

At present the rules state first and deputy first ministers must be jointly elected by the assembly, but the DUP is refusing to vote for a Sinn Fein politician to have the deputy's role.

Monitoring report

Wednesday's developments came as the Northern Ireland secretary published the first annual report the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC).

The commission was set up by the British and Irish governments in January 2004 to report on activity by paramilitary groups and the normalisation of official security measures in Ulster.

Paul Murphy was also continuing the search for a peace deal during a visit to the Republic of Ireland.

His agenda on Wednesday included talks with Irish foreign minister Dermot Ahern.

And in a written statement to parliament on the publication of the IMC report, Murphy defended its role in the peace process.

"The IMC continues to fulfil an important and valuable role in Northern Ireland and I am grateful to the commissioners for their dedication and efforts to date," he said.