Ahern and Hain insist devolution deadline must be met

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern and Northern Secretary Peter Hain have insisted that there must be a power-sharing Executive at Stormont by the March 26 deadline.

The two men were speaking after meeting with the North's political parties in Hillsborough Castle yesterday.

The DUP has still refused to commit itself to sharing power with Sinn Féin and has insisted that the March 26 deadline can be delayed.

However, Mr Ahern and Mr Hain said yesterday that this was not the case and that devolution would be shelved indefinitely if there was no power-sharing in two weeks' time.

Mr Hain also appeared to pile more pressure on the DUP to change its stance by suggesting that controversial water rates being imposed in the North could be scrapped by a local power-sharing administration.