01/08/2018

NI Power-Sharing Talks 'Could Take Place In Autumn'

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said talks aimed at restoring power-sharing in Northern Ireland should take place in the autumn.

Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government since January 2017 after Stormont collapsed due to a bitter fallout over the botched Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme.

Speaking to reporters in Dublin, the Irish Prime Minister said: "We would intend, in the autumn some time, trying again to get the parties in Northern Ireland together.

"I think the absence of any clarity around Brexit makes that very difficult but if we can have that in October, I think there is an opportunity, certainly before the end of the year, to get the Assembly and Executive up and running."

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald said both governments "now need to flesh out their announcement of a talks process".

"They need to make clear their plan for a successful outcome and the steps they will take to ensure full implementation of outstanding agreements and the safeguarding of rights for citizens in the north," she said.

"Sinn Féin remains committed to re-establishing power-sharing institutions that deliver for all and operate to the highest standards."

(LM)

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