Durkan welcomes governments' commitment

SDLP leader and Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan today welcomed commitment from the Irish and British governments to continue implementing the Good Friday Agreement.

He said that in meetings with the two governments he had stressed the need to deal with all the underlying confidence issues that had led to suspensions of the executive and assembly.

“I do believe that we can make determined efforts which can bring the Agreement back in a bigger and better way.

“If we are able to agree on a resumption of the institutions then the date of the (next Assembly) elections might well go forward.”

He denied reports that he had been under pressure from the Government to continue in a shadow role in the administration.

“That proposition formed no part of any discussion I had either with the Prime Minister or with the Taoiseach. The burden of our representations was to ensure the implication of the Agreement during suspension and to bring about the earliest possible restoration of the institutions.”