McGuinness likely to represent Sinn Fein

Officials Expected To Meet Sinn Fein

It would be the first meeting between the two sides since the collapse of the IRA's 17-month truce in February last year.

With the Prime Minister Tony Blair determined to make early progress on Ulster, the talks could signal the start of a new phase. It could lead to another ceasefire and the admission of the Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams, to talks with all the other parties.

Sinn Fein's chief negotiator Martin McGuinness is expected to head the republican delegation for the discussions at Stormont Castle which look set to begin around noon.

The republican leadership will be looking for assurances from the Government to introduce some sort of confidence building measures like the early release of prisoners, agreement on a time frame for negotiations and no preconditions.

The IRA will not consider a restoration of the ceasefire until they are satisfied the conditions are right, and even though the Prime Minister has made it clear the talks are not about negotiating the terms of a truce.

"What is needed here is new thinking. Sinn Fein will play a positive role. Let people be absolutely assured: We are in a peace negotiation mode," said Mr Adams.

"That is the mood Sinn Fein is in. We want to move it forward. We want to be part of the collective effort and that is our key motivation in our meeting with the British," he said.

The talks were arranged after Mr Blair's statement in Belfast last Friday that he was prepared to make "one further effort" to proceed with an inclusive talks process.

Unionists fearing any change in the Government's position, particularly on key issue of weapons decommissioning, will want to be kept fully informed of the civil servants' exchanges with Sinn Fein.

At the same time loyalist paramilitaries have insisted that the principle of consent must be the sole basis for any overall settlement. The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) also warned that the conditions for Sinn Fein's entry to the talks process were not negotiatable.

As senior officials prepared for the talks with Sinn Fein, the Home Office announced that two more long-term Republican prisoners are being sent back to Northern Ireland.

A Home Office a spokesman confirmed that Danny McNamee from Crossmaglen, south Armagh and Liam McCotter of west Belfast were to be transferred. It is understood both men are being moved to Maghaberry, near Lisburn, County Antrim.