"I was very pleased to hear that Premier Williams and Premier Hamm have agreed to return to negotiations with Ottawa," said Mr. Grimes. "While Premier Williams has continuously stated that returning to negotiations would indicate weakness, I believe Premier Hamm’s approach has convinced our Premier that this does not mean taking any less than what was promised during the election campaign.

"My recent criticisms have focused specifically on the Premier’s unwillingness to return to the table with the federal government. I am pleased that he has heard this message and is now willing to take this next step. I have always supported the province’s position on receiving 100 per cent of offshore revenues, but I have not been able to support the Premier’s recent tactics. I am very encouraged with the most recent developments related to this issue.

"These face-to-face discussions will hopefully lead to the deal that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were promised during the election. Liberals passed a motion this past weekend calling on both levels of government to stop the rhetoric and get back to the table. This is a positive sign and I hope the federal government will now provide this province with what was promised during the election campaign. Anything else would not be acceptable to the people of the province."