Gloomy faces exit peace talks

A host of gloomy faces have exited from talks aimed at keeping the Northern peace process alive.

Representatives of the Alliance Party left the talks at Weston Park in Staffordshire, England at around 5.15pm.

They made no comments to waiting reporters as they were driven out of the gates of the estate.

The other smaller parties - the Women’s’ Alliance, Ulster Democratic Party and Progressive Unionist Party - were expected to leave Weston Park shortly, leaving only Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern and representatives of the larger parties inside.

Officials said no timetable had been set for how late talks would go on today.