'No Prospect Of A Political Agreement' – O'Neill

Sinn Féin claims there is "no prospect of a political agreement" to form a new power-sharing Executive.

The party's leader Michelle O'Neill said the UK government and the DUP need to address the fundamental issues in the current talks.

She said: "We have been here five weeks during which time Sinn Féin has been fully engaged. We believe in the institutions and we have been working to restore them and to rebuild public confidence in them.

"However, to date there has been no measurable progress. And at this critical period there is no prospect of a political agreement unless the British government and the DUP tackle the fundamental issues, which Martin McGuinness addressed in his letter of resignation.

"There can be no return to petty-minded and bigoted ministerial decisions; no return to the treatment of any group of people as second-class citizens; no return to the arrogant disregard for the squandering of public money; and no return to the short-sighted dismissal of the need for genuine reconciliation and peace-building. 

"Those are the issues which need to be dealt with if we are to take this opportunity to fix what is broken and to move society forward on the basis of equal partnership government and rights for all.

"But time is running out. We are now in a critical period and there needs to be substantial movement from both the British Government and the DUP over the coming days. If they again fail to do so then the people should have their say."

Alliance Deputy Leader Stephen Farry said while the Easter deadline set by the Secretary of State to conclude talks was fast approaching, "little sense of momentum" was evident in the process.

He said: "This week is critical in that process, with the stakes incredibly high. While on many of the issues themselves the gaps are seemingly narrow, the divisions between the parties are often deep, with mistrust, lack of respect, and inflexibility hindering agreement.

"The roundtable format offers the opportunity for more focused engagement, but there remains little sense of momentum on the part of a number of parties, and even an air of complacency over the consequences of continued deadlock.

"Failure will call into question the very concept of power-sharing and regional devolution, and many of the assumptions that have driven the political process for two decades. In the context of Brexit and with many voices across the EU looking to help Northern Ireland, the absence of a functioning Executive with a coherent plan to obtain that assistance could become a major tragedy. We are more vulnerable to Brexit than any other region, and need a solution which respects the shared and inter-locking nature of politics, economics and identity.

"Even in its simplest terms, an argument over precisely how many millions it would take to implement an Irish Language Act pales into insignificance when set beside the lost opportunities in terms of economic change and human suffering experienced in an unreformed and unsustainable, cash starved health service."

(CD/JP)