Fresh round of talks to restore power-sharing
A fresh round of talks to restore Northern Ireland's power-sharing institutions gets underway involving the main parties.
A fresh round of talks to restore Northern Ireland's power-sharing institutions gets underway involving the main parties.
Talks to restore power-sharing at Stormont have been paused until after the General Election.
The decision was made following roundtable discussions involving the main political parties, UK and Irish Governments on Thursday.
Talks will resume following the election, leaving three weeks to form an Executive before the 29 June deadline.
Secretary of State James Brokenshire confirmed: “Over the past seven weeks all the main parties have been engaged in discussions and some progress has been made, including on the development of a Programme for Government and on legacy. There are, however, a number of outstanding issues.
“All the parties involved recognise it is vital devolved government, and all of the institutions established under the Belfast Agreement and its successors, resumes in Northern Ireland as soon as possible.
“Although formal roundtable talks are paused until after the General Election, a range of bilateral discussions will continue, with a view to building on progress.”
The DUP is prepared for another election if an agreement cannot be reached in the talks process, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said.
Irish speakers have welcomed DUP leader Arlene Foster’s pledge to better understand the language.
Alliance leader Naomi Long has said the devolution project could be lost because of the lack of trust between the parties.