Police quell N.Ireland riots

Rioting first flared last week in north Belfast

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- A fresh outbreak of sectarian violence in Belfast was quickly brought under control by police on Monday night, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) says.

The RUC, Northern Ireland's police service, said one man was injured as stones and bottles were through in a north Belfast area where Protestant and Catholic communities live close to each other.

Last week, dozens of policemen were injured in two nights of rioting in the area, with gun shots fired and petrol bombs thrown at police.

Police said around 400 people were involved in Monday's disturbances.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is to meet his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern for talks on the troubled peace process in Northern Ireland.

A spokesman for Blair said: "There have been difficulties before and we have overcome them. The prime minister is determined to make progress."

The goal is a formula aimed at breaking deadlocks over the disarmament of weapons by the Irish Republican Army, cuts in army presence and future policing.

David Trimble, leader of Northern Ireland's largest Protestant party, has threatened to resign as head of the power-sharing government on July 1 unless the IRA starts scrapping its arms.

If Trimble resigns, it could bring the power-sharing executive to a halt, forcing Britain to mothball the home-rule government, as it did last year after Trimble made a similar warning on the arms issue.

The IRA has twice allowed international monitors to inspect sealed arms bunkers to prove its weapons are not in use, but opponents say this is not enough.