McGuinness's Tory Talks Underway

Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson (pictured) will meet with Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness later.

The pair are expected to hold talks at Stormont, following the revelation senior unionists met Mr Paterson in London last weekend.

Sinn Féin and the DUP are continuing to thrash out a deal over the devolution of policing and justice powers to the local Assembly.

Heightened speculation that a resolution would be found soon has cooled in the last few days.

Sinn Féin has accused their Executive partners of failing to do enough.

DUP Acting First Minister Arlene Foster, who met with Mr Paterson yesterday, said intervention from other governments might be required to break the deadlock.

She said "facilitation" would allow "a light to be shone on it all, because we certainly know what we have been doing over the last number of days".

Secret weekend talks between DUP and UUP members and the Tory party was officially branded as an exercise to "promote greater political stability".

Mr Paterson's meeting with Deputy First Minister Mr McGuinness will reportedly focus on the same issues.

He and his republican colleagues had warned of serious consequences if agreement on devolution was not reached prior to Christmas. Negotiations on the matter reignited at week.

Despite initial reports that talks were reaching a critical stage, communication has effectively stalled within the last 48 hours.

Parading and the role of the Parades Commission in sanctioning Orange Order marches are said to be the main stumbling blocks to a deal.

Yesterday, Sinn Féin Deputy President Mary-Lou McDonald said the DUP had "not yet indicated they were ready to meet their commitments".

The party's ruling executive will meet tomorrow to analyse the current state of play.

(PR/BMcC)