Richard Haass Talks To Begin

American diplomat Richard Haass is to begin chairing cross-party talks in Belfast which are designed to resolve contentious political issues in the region.

The talks will include parades, flags and Northern Ireland's past.

So far, NI's politicians have been unable to agree on a resolution to the issues and today Dr Haass will commence a series of bilateral meetings.

The first will be with SDLP and Sinn Féin at Belfast's Europa Hotel.

Over the next few days, the diplomat will also speak to community groups, church leaders and business representatives. The initial discussions will culminate with the first plenary session on Friday.

Speaking last week, Dr Haass said there was some urgency for progress following a "difficult" year of violence related to parades and protests.

The former US envoy met First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in New York last week as a prelude to the talks.

It was the first time the region's leaders had been face-to-face after the DUP decided to withdraw its support for the Peace and Reconciliation centre at the former Maze site.

(JP/CD)