LEEDS CASTLE, England (AFP) - Talks to restore home rule to Northern Ireland ground on as British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Ireland's Bertie Ahern pushed rival Catholic and Protestant parties toward a lasting peace deal.
But the Protestant Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein, the political arm of the IRA Catholic paramilitary group, remained non-committal, saying they would not compromise on key issues in order to restore the political power-sharing created by the 1998 Good Friday agreement.
"A lot of areas remain without progress", said Gregory Campbell, a DUP parliamentary lawmaker.
Pat Doherty, deputy leader of Sinn Fein said: "I remain generally optimistic, a deal can be done", but added: "We're not here to surrender the fundamentals of the Good Friday agreement."
The success of the three-day summit at Leeds Castle, the picturesque estate in southeast England, hinges on whether the IRA (Irish Republican Army) will disarm and declare an end to its decades-long armed struggle.
Sinn Fein, for its part, is demanding full implementation of the Good Friday deal, which would see it share power in the Northern Ireland executive alongside its hardline rivals DUP.
Although the DUP has branded the republicans "terrorists" and refused to sit down at the table with Sinn Fein this week, both are Northern Ireland's largest elected parties, and keen to exercise their newfound power in a restored government.
Britain suspended the Northern Ireland government in October 2002 amid a crisis including alleged IRA spying, and resumed direct control of the province.
The DUP's Campbell said a statement by the IRA declaring that it will disarm and disband would not suffice for unionists.
"We need to see more than a statement. We need to see all the guns disappear," he told journalists.
But in a sign of some willingness to share power in a restored Northern Ireland executive, he added: "We will be prepared to sit in government with Sinn Fein and anyone else who is a democratic political party."
Aidan O'Hara, from Ireland's press office, said issues up for discussion had narrowed and the parties were showing a "very good engagement" inside Leeds Castle.
But neither Blair nor Ahern, nor US envoy Mitchell Reiss, would be drawn on whether they would seal a deal before the talks wrap up at midday Saturday in order to make way for a private wedding planned in the castle.
Blair has called the talks a "moment of decision" and warned that, after two previous failed attempts in as many years, he would not repeat the effort again.
David Ervine of the small Progressive Unionist Party, said the prime ministers were "not playing games" inside Leeds Castle.
"I think Blair has had enough", he told AFP.
When asked if the leaders risked losing political credibility if they walked away without a deal, Ahern's spokeswoman answered: "Very much so."
Despite the political deadlock, the Good Friday deal has nevertheless ended most of the daily sectarian violence that killed nearly 3,300 people and injured more than 36,000 over three decades.
The choice of Leeds Castle, is packed with symbolism -- it was here that Middle Eastern diplomats paved the way for their historic Camp David peace pact 25 years ago.