28/06/2017

Crucial Talks To Restore Power Sharing In NI To Continue

Crucial talks to restore power sharing in Northern Ireland are set to continue today, 28 June.

Political parties must reach an agreement before 4pm tomorrow or face the prospect of direct rule.

Sinn Fein accused the DUP of not moving on from "basic rights".

MLA Declan Kearney said: "They haven't moved on ending the denial of rights to Irish speakers.

"They haven't moved on ending the denial of rights to the LGBT community.

"They haven't moved on honouring the commitment to a Bill of Rights.

"Those are the issues, compounded by the RHI scandal, which caused the collapse of power-sharing.

"We need to see substantive progress on all of these if there is to be an agreement and a credible Executive put in place."

NI's Secreatary of State James Brokenshire urged the parties to overcome their outstanding differences.

He said: "With political will - and some courage - effective government in Northern Ireland can be restored by the end of the week. If the parties focus on this common sense of purpose, for the benefit of all communities, this can be achieved.

"I know that is what the vast majority of people here voted for and what they are hoping their political representatives can deliver."

(CD)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

08 June 2005
Queen’s to debate future of Human Rights Commissions
The future of Human Rights Commissions in the UK and Ireland will be examined at Queen's University Belfast this week. The Human Rights Centre at the Queen's School of Law, in co-operation with the Faculty of Law, University of Bristol, will hold a half-day conference in Belfast on Friday on the role of both Commissions.
04 September 2001
Provisional Bill of Rights is unveiled
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has published its provisional proposals for what should be contained in a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
24 March 2009
Teen Denies Police Murder Charge
A teenager has appeared in court to deny murdering police officer Constable Stephen Carroll, 48, who was shot dead in Craigavon on Monday 9 March. He was in the dock at Lisburn Magistrates Court where the court was told he "made no reply to the charges", when they were put to him.
20 October 2005
Human rights central to citizenship - Minister
Human rights are central to citizenship and have an important role to play in moving Northern Ireland towards an equal, just and peaceful future. That was the message from Education Minister, Angela Smith, at today's cross-border conference on Human Rights Education in Dublin.
28 January 2005
Belfast to hold international Human Rights conference
A major conference, bringing together over 20 international human rights leaders from 12 countries, will take place in Belfast this weekend.