Pressure on SF and DUP to break stalemate

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern moved to try and salvage a breakthrough deal on power-sharing last night as stalemate gripped the St Andrews summit.

With the mood of cautious optimism surrounding the intensive talks dimming markedly, it was understood Dublin wanted the British to do “heavy lifting” with the DUP to force them to be more flexible on the timing of trading Sinn Féin acceptance of policing for restored devolution.

Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin are adamant the other must move first to “sequence” an agreement before the November 24 deadline to shut down Stormont.

Mr Ahern is believed to feel the republicans have done all that was asked of them on decommissioning and abandoning criminality, and moves on the deal should now come from the DUP.

Mr Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were set to pressurise the parties with a joint blueprint for restoring Stormont before the talks wound-up at lunchtime today.

SDLP leader Mark Durkan accused Sinn Féin and the DUP of engaging in a “Mexican stand-off”, as Mr Blair’s spokesman warn- ed caution could wreck any chances for a deal.

The major fault-line through the summit is over Ian Paisley’s insistence Sinn Féin must accept civil policing before he will commit to sharing power, and the republicans’ demand that control of law and order must be devolved to the Belfast assembly before they can back the PSNI.

Dr Paisley insisted accepting the police was not negotiable: “Why should you be special? Why do you insist on making support for the police a bargaining chip? We are not going to bargain on that. It is not up for grabs. You have to do it.”

“We are putting before them an ultimatum for democrats.

“Those who want to serve in the government of a democracy must totally and absolutely support the police at every level and must be seen to be supporting the police,” Mr Paisley said.

Sinn Féin chief negotiator, Martin McGuinness made it clear the party could not recommend young republicans to back the PSNI while it was still British run.

In a thinly veiled warning to the DUP, Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern reminded the party that if they fail to sign on an agreement, the governments would go ahead with “Plan B” which would give the Republic a much greater influence over the North.