Anglo-Irish attempts to seal a lasting political settlement in Northern Ireland hinged yesterday on whether IRA guerillas would allow pictures to be taken of their weapons being destroyed. Photographic evidence of the effective end of one of Europe's oldest and deadliest insurgent groups is seen by some as a crucial precondition of a deal for the British-ruled province. But such would be the humiliation for the Catholic IRA, which sees itself as an undefeated fighting force, that final agreement to resolve the political impasse is not guaranteed. A new deal to revive the 1998 Good Friday agreement between Northern Ireland's Protestant and Catholic foes is, however, tantalisingly close, sources on all sides agree. Prime Ministers Tony Blair of Britain and Bertie Ahern of Ireland have a blueprint for agreement and are pressing ahead with plans to go to Belfast today to make it public. **PHOTO CAPTION*** A man walks past Irish Republican graffiti in west Belfast, December 7, 2004. (REUTERS)