A dangerous political vacuum could be created in Northern Ireland following the suspension of devolution, Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has said.

Mr McGuinness was speaking in the United States after a meeting on Tuesday night with Richard Hass, President Bush's special adviser on Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive was suspended for the fourth time last week following allegations of IRA intelligence gathering in the Northern Ireland Office.

The former Northern Ireland education minister called on the British and Irish Governments to organise talks in the province including both the pro and anti Agreement parties.

"The difficultly at the moment that I fear is that a dangerous political vacuum will open up," he said.

Martin McGuinness: Peace process warning

"And it is essential that we avoid that by ensuring that there are important political developments over the course of the next period.

"Crucially important in all of this is the need to bring about inclusive dialogue."

In a recent BBC interview, Mr Haass said devolution could only be restored to Northern Ireland if the IRA and all of the other paramilitary groups went out of business.

After three years of devolution Northern Ireland was brought back under direct rule last week.

Responsibility for the suspended assembly's ten ministerial departments, are now in the hands of five Northern Ireland Office ministers.

Richard Haass has called for an end to paramilitary groups

The British Government has said it is to consult Northern Ireland's political parties within the next 10 days about a planned review of the peace process.

Dr Reid plans to organise a series of meetings with political parties in Belfast.

Dismissed

However, round table discussions involving all the parties appear unlikely after Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said he saw no point in them.

Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid met Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen at an Anglo-Irish Inter-governmental conference at Hillsborough Castle, County Down on Tuesday.

Their talks included ways of bridging the trust gap between unionists and republicans.

Dr Reid said both governments' relationship had been "a bedrock" in recent weeks.

He said ministers had discussed security and the "practicalities of next few months".

Despite his sense of regret over the suspension of the institutions, the government would carry forward the implementation of the Agreement, Dr Reid said.

Mr Cowen added that the two governments were "determined to press ahead with all aspects of the Agreement that are within their respective competence".

Irish premier Bertie Ahern earlier warned hard-line unionists that re-negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement was not on the political agenda. The plans for talks between the parties follow calls by Prime Minister Tony Blair last week for the IRA to disband.

However, issued by an IRA source rejected Mr Blair's appeal as "unrealisable demands".

Addressing his party's annual conference on Saturday, Ulster Unionist leader Northern Ireland and former first minister David Trimble said such talks would have no impact on whether the IRA would disband, a key requirement for his party's return to the power-sharing administration with Sinn Fein.