Main parties in North ready to press ahead with talks

The North's five main parties appear to be prepared to press ahead with talks aimed at breaking the deadlock that is threatening the Northern Executive and Assembly. The convening of talks was separately confirmed on Sunday by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers and Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan.

During the next two weeks, the British and Irish governments are to discuss with the northern parties an agenda for negotiations. The main issues are expected to be welfare reform, parades, the past and flags. No decision has yet been made on whether the talks should have an independent chair. With a British general election coming up in May 2015, it is generally accepted that the deadline for a deal must be before Christmas.

Ms Villiers is still expected to make an announcement about a separate mechanism to try to resolve the row about the disputed Orange Order parade in north Belfast on July 12th, which is banned from returning past the Ardoyne shops. Unionists have made a commission of inquiry into the parade a condition of ending their “graduated response” protests against this ban. If, as expected, Ms Villiers gives this commitment, the DUP and Ulster Unionist Party are expected to sign up for talks.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams called on the British government to suspend immediately its financial penalties on the Northern Executive because of Sinn Féin's veto on the Executive adopting the British government's welfare change proposals.

SDLP leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell said the talks “should be chaired by both the Irish and British governments, and the US administration should be in that room and closely involved”.

Dr McDonnell said the community could not afford to have an Assembly and devolution that was “gridlocked”.

Guarded welcome

Ulster Unionist Party leader

Mike Nesbitt

offered a guarded welcome to the talks but said the best prospect for success would be with a limited agenda. “The days of the all-singing, all-dancing talks should be over. The failed Haass experience proved that beyond all doubt,” he said.

He added that there could be no official role for Dublin “in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland”.

Alliance Party leader David Ford said the talks could only succeed if all parties went to the table determined to secure lasting solutions. "In recent months unionists have ignored growing calls to get back around the table, with the so-called graduated response doing nothing but stalling any progress that could have been made," he said.

“The Secretary of State has thrown down the gauntlet to them – they must re-engage before irreversible damage is done not only to Northern Ireland’s internal structures, but to its standing and relationships within the UK,” added Mr Ford.