Efforts to deal with the North’s troubled past have failed, Amnesty International claimed.

An intervention may be needed if political parties in the North cannot reach an agreement in the Haass talks, the Tánaiste has warned.

The Taoiseach says the failure of the Haass negotiations to reach an agreement is a "disappointment" to the people of Northern Ireland.

In the North, the final round of Haass negotiations are set to resume within the next hour.