Tánaiste on restoration of power-sharing in Stormont: 'We’re running out of time'

Tánaiste Simon Coveney has warned that agreement on the restoration of power-sharing in Stormont must be reached in the coming days.

Tánaiste on restoration of power-sharing in Stormont: 'We’re running out of time'

Tánaiste Simon Coveney has warned that agreement on the restoration of power-sharing in Stormont must be reached in the coming days.

“We’re at the end game now, we’re running out of time. The stakes are very high in the next few days, we need to get this done,” he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.

“The Irish Government is determined to work really closely with the British government. My relationship with Julian Smith (Northern Ireland Secretary of State) is a very good one, it's a very close one and we are going to work together, with all of the parties to try and close this out in a way that everyone can live with and I hope can be the basis for a new beginning for politics in Northern Ireland.

“(This is) a new chapter, a new decade where we can look ahead with some confidence that politics is going to work for people as opposed to divide people in Northern Ireland.”

Mr Coveney denied that he had “named and shamed” the DUP before Christmas. His aim now is to reach a deal agreeable to all the parties, including the DUP.

“This continues to be a really big priority for me. Helping the parties to restore a functioning and sustainable Executive, along with Brexit, have really been my two big priorities in the last number of years and we are at the end game here, we're running out of time.

But we also have enough work done to get this done in the relatively narrow window that's left to us, I think all parties would accept that.

“But this is hugely important - don't forget what is at stake here, this is about the functioning of the Good Friday Agreement, without a functioning Executive and a functioning Stormont Assembly, you don't have the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement functioning, you don't have North-South ministerial councils that allow Irish ministers and ministers in Stormont to work together.

“For three years now while of course we had a peace process that's still intact and in place we have not seen the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement functioning and Northern Ireland has suffered as a result of that.

“Communities become polarised when there isn't leadership coming from the top down in terms of political parties and of course we've had Brexit on top of that which I think has created an environment of tension and division in Northern Ireland as well, to put it mildly.”

Mr Coveney said that there is public pressure on the politicians to get things done. “The public is frustrated.”

x

More in this section

Lunchtime News

Newsletter

Keep up with stories of the day with our lunchtime news wrap and important breaking news alerts.

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited