Sinn Féin says onus is on DUP to ‘strike a deal’

THE core issue of the move towards restoring devolved government in Northern Ireland was whether the Democratic Unionist Party is capable of striking a deal, Sinn Féin claimed on Saturday.

Mitchel McLaughlin, the party chairman, said Sinn Féin was dedicated to seeing the Stormont assembly and power sharing executive resume but the party had genuine grounds for concern on whether the DUP was ready to do the work required.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned that a return to direct rule for Northern Ireland was not possible unless the three days of high-level talks in Leeds Castle this week were successful.

Mr McLaughlin said: “Essentially Sinn Féin is not preparing for failure.

Other parties and indeed governments can speak for themselves, we are in to do the business. I think giving people opt-out clauses is perhaps a mistake.

“Our party will be going in with a can do attitude rather than legislating for failure.”

Mr McLaughlin was speaking at a meeting of the party’s Ard Chomhairle in Dublin.

Party leader Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness were discussing the party’s strategy ahead of next week’s talks chaired by Mr Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

The Sinn Féin leadership will be in meetings with representatives of the British and Irish governments over the weekend. Speculation is that Gerry Adams will reveal that the IRA is to disband.