Ananova:

Tony Blair is meeting Irish taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Dublin in a bid to kick-start a fresh bid to bring back the Northern Ireland Assembly and other political institutions.

The two Prime Ministers will meet at Farmleigh House in Dublin's Phoenix Park as parties in Northern Ireland prepare for a new round of talks on February 6.

A Downing Street spokesman said the meeting between the Prime Ministers was an attempt to re-engage both Governments with the process.

"It is very much a scene setter," he said.

"It is a chance to reflect on the event that took place last year and assess progress that has been made since then.

"It is a chance to re-engage the two Prime Ministers with the process and set out why they believe the coming year will be an important one and to give people their expectations."

Mr Blair and Mr Ahern will reflect on the IRA's groundbreaking declaration last July that it had ordered its units to end their armed campaign and commit themselves to purely peaceful and democratic means and also on the Provisionals' completion of its disarmament programme in the presence of witnesses last September.

Unionists, however, remain sceptical about IRA intentions and are still resisting pressure on them to form a power sharing government featuring Sinn Fein.

The Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists have submitted a 64-page document to Downing Street, outlining confidence building measures for the unionist community which they believe have to be addressed before political progress can be made.

On Tuesday Mr Paisley also handed Mr Blair a 16-page document outlining a role for the province's 108 Assembly members in the absence of full bloom devolution. Last week the DUP said it could not envisage devolved government with Sinn Fein in the foreseeable future.