Governments look to Monday talks to resolve North crisis

Northern Secretary Theresa Villiers has said she sees merit in reactivating some form of independent monitoring body to assess the status of the IRA and other paramilitaries as a possible method of resolving the deadlock threatening the Stormont institutions.

Ms Villiers and Minister of Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan are hoping the North’s five main parties will gather again at Stormont House on Monday in another attempt to end the crisis caused by the murder of Belfast republican Kevin McGuigan, and the issue of welfare reform.

Sinn Féin, one of two parties key to any resolution, said it is prepared to participate in negotiations to tackle the issues while the other main party, the DUP, is to decide over the weekend whether to attend these talks.

While the Ulster Unionist Party has stated it will only initially discuss issues relating to the murder of Mr McGuigan and the status of the IRA, Dublin and London are hopeful that properly focused negotiations can begin next week. The SDLP and Alliance Party are expected to participate.

British prime minister David Cameron appealed to Northern politicians to “go the extra mile” to resolve the crisis. “We stand ready to help, including standing ready to help with getting rid of the paramilitary organisations and properly examining how they still exist, what they consist of and putting them out of commission in our country,” he said on Friday.

"I would appeal to the politicians to go the extra mile, the extra 10 miles if they have to, to make these institutions work for people in Northern Ireland. "

The governments believe that the decision of Peter Robinson to step aside as First Minister and withdraw all but one of his ministers from the Executive — Arlene Foster who is staying as acting First Minister and finance Minister — has created a period of up to six weeks in which a deal could yet be achieved.

Ms Foster said on Friday that in order to have stable government, politicians had to deal with “the twin problems in front of us not least paramilitary activity being linked to one of the parties of government, Sinn Féin”.

“We can’t just ignore that - we need to deal with the issue. And in order to have stability in the future we need to deal with that cancer at the heart of government now,” she told Sky News.

Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said Ms Foster’s claim was “rubbish” and everyone should be focused on ensuring the Stormont House agreement is implemented.

“I am sorry that Arlene would rather indulge herself in the stuff of sensation. There is no cancer in Sinn Fein, we are an open democratic party,” Ms McDonald said.

Over the weekend the British and Irish governments will remain in close contact as Ms Villiers and Mr Flanagan try to set out a workable agenda for the talks. They are wrestling with how to restore some level of trust between unionists and Sinn Féin after the PSNI chief constable George Hamilton said the IRA still exists and some IRA members were involved in Mr McGuigan’s murder.

In response, Sinn Féin has repeatedly denied IRA involvement and insisted it has “gone away”.

Ms Villiers indicated serious consideration would be given by the two governments to reactivating or creating a body such as the Independent Monitoring Commission to assess the status of the paramilitaries.

“I think that is certainly one of the most credible ideas,” Ms Villiers told the BBC.

The North’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said there was up to six weeks to resolve the crisis. He expressed confidence that the DUP and UUP would engage in the talks from Monday. At a Sinn Féin away day in Co Meath today he said the DUP, UUP and Sinn Féin should stand together in condemning the murder of Mr McGuigan.

Ms Foster told the BBC she, as the only DUP minister left on the Executive, she was there as a “gatekeeper to make sure that Sinn Féin and the SDLP ministers don’t take actions that will damage Northern Ireland and principally, let’s be honest, that damage the unionist community”.

Sinn Féin Assembly member Gerry Kelly however said such remarks were “bigoted” and a “throwback” to the past.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has called for a meeting with the PSNI chief constable Mr Hamilton to discuss the arrest of the Sinn Féin Northern Ireland chairman Bobby Storey and two other senior republicans, Eddie Copeland and Brian Gillen in connection with the murder of Mr McGuigan. All three were released on Thursday “unconditionally” with the John Finucane, the solicitor for Mr Storey, saying that his client will sue for alleged wrongful arrest.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he strongly believes it was worth saving the powersharing institutions in Northern Ireland. Mr Kenny told RTÉ Morning Ireland on Friday that if the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly collapsed, it would take a “very long time” to get back to the normal running.

“This can be avoided, but I think it needs a realistic appraisal by people who have had very harsh things to say about each other and where there are clear differences of opinion, strong differences of opinion,” he said.

Mr Kenny said the evidence available from the Minister for Justice is that the IRA does not exist.

“The cell formation of the so-called IRA is no longer functioning in that manner. It doesn’t mean that people who are members of cells don’t meet in terms of criminal activity particularly in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“You can’t have a situation of fear along the border where people are afraid to open their mouths about anything.”