Adams press conference:There is now no reason the Stormont institutions should not be back in place by the governments' deadline of March 26th, the Sinn Féin president said. Dan Keenan, Northern News Editor, reports.
Speaking in his West Belfast constituency yesterday morning, Gerry Adams pressed both the British and Irish governments "to accept what the people overwhelmingly voted for" and to restore Stormont.
"Let's go forward in the hope that everyone will act in a responsible way and that we will get the peace built and the political institutions in place. If that is not the case then we will deal with that," he said.
"But I would not like to be a British secretary of state, or British prime minister or Taoiseach trying to explain when every issue has been dealt with, when all the excuses have been used up, why they would set aside a very, very clearly enunciated position. Let's go forward in hope and confidence that we actually meet the challenges in the time ahead."
He called on the Democratic Unionists to "exercise their mandate" and present themselves for nomination without setting further conditions for Sinn Féin.
"We are not interested in excuses," he added. "If the DUP have any genuine concerns about any issue, if they want us to look at it, we will look at it and look at it positively." Mr Adams said he recognised the DUP had come to the cusp of being involved in powersharing and all-Ireland arrangements, a journey which he said was "very difficult".
"If they end up in the [ Stormont] institutions with the rest of us as I think, then we'll forgive them for their colourful language and their OTT remarks . . . There is a sectarian streak in the DUP, and that has to be faced up to." The Sinn Féin president said he disagreed with the Rev Ian Paisley, "but I can respect his mandate".
Asked by The Irish Times if he thought a powersharing executive involving republicans and the DUP would be stable and productive, Mr Adams said there was nothing wrong with "a battle a day".
He added that if and when the DUP decided to enter an executive, their full participation would be assured. "When we get them in, they're in . . ." he said.
Chief negotiator Martin McGuinness said the DUP knew the two governments' so-called Plan B would be unpalatable for the DUP.
"If there is a failure to get the institutions up on March 26th, then there probably will be a political price to pay for that, because I think an awful lot of people will be very disappointed indeed."
Asked if he would yield to Rev Paisley's demand for republicans to repent for their actions during The Troubles, Mr McGuinness said: "As a practising Catholic I repent all the time."