Foster: 'Resolve talks soon or risk direct rule'

With budgetary pressures looming, DUP leader Arlene Foster has warned a decision must be made quickly on the restoration of power-sharing.

She said, "I am not going to be prescriptive but we do not believe that there can be a prolonged set of talks".

Mrs Foster accused former partners in government, Sinn Féin, of being "the barrier," adding, "We think we should be able to come to a determination pretty quickly whether Sinn Féin want to go back into government.

"Certainly for our part we do. We have no red lines - we have no barriers." she said.

Last Thursday, in a speech to her party's executive, Mrs Foster called for the immediate reconstitution of an Executive in parallel with a process to deal with cultural issues, including the Irish language.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams had earlier said there would be no Assembly with out an Acht na Gaeilge (Irish language act).

Mrs Foster said Sinn Féin had reacted with breakneck speed to reject her proposal.

She said the Secretary of State would need to make a decision by next month on the prospect for fresh talks or direct rule from London.

James Brokenshire is meeting the five main parties at Stormont on Monday as he assesses the chances of a breakthrough.

Powersharing has been on hold since January when the late Sinn Féin deputy first minister Mr McGuinness resigned in protest at the DUP's handling of a botched green energy scheme which risks landing the taxpayer in millions of pounds of debt.

Talks have been led by the British and Irish governments but with no breakthrough some prominent DUP MPs are warning a return to direct rule from Westminster could be looming.

Sinn Féin leader Michelle O'Neill said there should be a short and focused negotiation where the outstanding issues can be resolved within days if people had the right attitude.

She warned there were small windows over the next two months to make progress.

Mrs Foster said by October the Northern Ireland Secretary would have to pass a law authorising the expenditure of public money, adding, "If there is no devolution by that stage and no signal of devolution I think that he would have to take action in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland."

Outstanding issues in dispute between the parties include legal protection for the Irish language and dealing with violence from Northern Ireland's past.

Mrs Foster has called for a "common sense" solution appointing Stormont ministers alongside a time-limited process for making progress on the red line issue of an Irish language act and Ulster Scots.

Her republican counterpart said, "What she did was go away and call for something which she knew would be rejected."

She said it had been turned down in March.

"It was put out knowing what the outcome would be and what the response would be."