Durkan to outline plans to break deadlock

SDLP leader Mark Durkan was today expected to step up demands for the Irish and British governments to involve everyone who created the Good Friday Agreement in an effort to bring back devolution to Northern Ireland.

As foreign minister Brian Cowen and Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy continued to consider ways of bringing back the power-sharing Executive and Assembly, Mr Durkan was due to outline to his party’s annual conference in Armagh his proposals for breaking the political deadlock.

Mr Durkan, who became SDLP leader last year, was also expected to address the need for republicans and loyalist paramilitaries to abandon violence and all activity.

His leader speech was also expected to be critical of Sinn Féin’s approach to the reform of policing and of the Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble’s attitude to the power-sharing institutions that existed before the reimposition of direct rule from Westminster.