Taoiseach Enda Kenny and British prime minister David Cameron have discussed the crisis threatening the Stormont institutions as Dublin and London attempt to find a solution to the impasse.
Downing Street said that the two leaders were in contact by telephone yesterday and that they “reaffirmed their commitment to the devolved political institutions and to the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement”.
"They also agreed on the importance of continuing to build trust and confidence across Northern Ireland, " said a spokesman for No 10.
Mr Kenny and British and Irish ministers are expected to avail of the annual conference of the British Irish Association (BIA) in Cambridge at the weekend to push for a resolution to the crisis.
Meetings and behind-the-scenes activity between Belfast, Dublin and London are continuing as the British and Irish governments try to chart a way out of the current difficulties caused by the killing last month of Belfast republican Kevin McGuigan.
The assessment by the PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton that the IRA remains in existence and that former IRA members were involved in Mr McGuigan's death, although without the sanction of the IRA leadership, has triggered a crisis threatening the Northern Executive and Assembly.
Arrested
A 41-year-old man was arrested in east Belfast yesterday in connection with Mr McGuigan’s murder, which police believe was in revenge for the murder in early May of former IRA member Gerard “Jock” Davison. He is the 12th person to be arrested in relation to the shooting dead of Mr McGuigan last month. Nobody has been charged with the murder, although one man was remanded in custody for arms possession.
First Minister Peter Robinson has asked the British prime minister David Cameron to suspend the Northern Assembly for four to six weeks to facilitate comprehensive talks involving the two governments and the North's main parties.
Mr Robinson wants the negotiations to deal with the IRA issue and also the failure to implement the Stormont House Agreement of last Christmas due to Sinn Féin and SDLP opposition to British government welfare changes.
The Assembly is due to resume in plenary session on Monday. Mr Robinson said that if the Assembly was not put on hold to allow for the negotiations, he would take “unilateral action”, the nature of which he refused to specify. There is speculation that it could involve the DUP boycotting the Northern Executive and Assembly and Assembly committees.
Delegation
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness led a Sinn Féin delegation in talks with Northern Secretary
Theresa Villiers
yesterday evening. After the meeting, Sinn Féin MLA
Alex Maskey
, who was part of the delegation, said, “Martin McGuinness made it very clear to Theresa Villiers that Sinn Féin is totally opposed to any suggestion that the British government would suspend these institutions.”
Mr Kenny is speaking at the (BIA) conference in Cambridge tomorrow night, while Ms Villiers will address the association on Saturday night. The Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan will speak at the conference on Sunday.
The BIA, which meets annually, alternately between Oxford and Cambridge, brings together politicians, academics, police officers, historians, clergy, journalists and others to privately discuss matters relating to the peace process.
It has been running since 1972 and the confidential nature of the conferences has allowed unionist and nationalist politicians to engage in some quite frank discussions.
The speeches of Mr Kenny, Ms Villiers and Mr Flanagan will be made public. Sources said these would be “substantial” speeches designed to help address the current crisis.
