Bush envoy to hold talks with Northern parties

The Bush administration's special envoy to the North is due to hold talks with the local political parties today as efforts continue to restore the power-sharing institutions.

Mitchell Reiss is expected to call on all sides in the peace process to take more risk to break the current deadlock and re-establish devolved government.

He is likely to press the DUP to take full part in negotiations to restore the institutions, despite the party's refusal to accept that IRA activity has ended.

Mr Reiss is also likely to call on Sinn Féin to support the PSNI, despite its concerns that the police force still contains powerful anti-republican elements with animosity towards the peace process.