Last-minute deal saves power-sharing government

The North's power-sharing government has been salvaged tonight after Sinn Féin agreed to resume governance with the Democratic Unionist Party.

Fresh talks will be held with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Friday after the last-minute solution.

A dispute over the devolution of policing and justice responsibilities has not been resolved.

DUP leader Peter Robinson will become First Minister alongside Sinn Féin deputy Martin McGuinness.

Republicans had been engaged in talks over whether to nominate Mr McGuinness tomorrow amid lack of progress on the security issue.

Both parties held talks earlier this week with Brown in London to avert the possibility of fresh Assembly elections.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said: "I am very pleased to say that I will be nominating Martin McGuinness as Deputy First Minister.

"The Office of the First and Deputy First Minister is a joint and co-equal office.

"Those two are in that office can only fulfil their responsibilities if they are mindful of that fact."

Brown said tonight he had invited Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness to talks at Number 10 on Friday.

"On the agenda will be various urgent issues, including the forward investment strategy for Northern Ireland, the economic situation, devolution of policing and justice, continuing concerns around paramilitary organisations, parades, sites, the Irish language and education, and the putting in place of a process to deal with them," Brown said in a statement.

"I look forward to my continuing involvement with the First and deputy First Ministers.

"I remain committed to the continuing implementation of the St Andrews agreement and to helping the parties to address those issues that have been raised with me and require resolution."

Adams said the new administration had to be rooted in equality for everybody.

A joint statement from Mr McGuinness and Mr Robinson said: "We look forward to working together after we have been nominated as First and Deputy First Minister.

"We recognise that there are outstanding and unresolved issues which have been raised with the Prime Minister and which require urgent attention.

"We look forward to discussing these on Friday."

The Assembly has been in existence since May last year with former DUP leader Ian Paisley, as its First Minister. He hands over to Mr Robinson tomorrow.

The 2006 St Andrews Agreement laid the foundations for restored devolution.

Sinn Féin believed it paved the way for policing to be handed over to the Assembly by last month, the DUP has said there is not adequate confidence in the community to allow it.

Republicans are also unhappy about the failure to introduce an Irish language act.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen welcomed the joint statement.

"I welcome the expressed commitment of Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness to work together in the Northern Ireland Executive, as well as their joint recognition that the outstanding issues facing the Executive require urgent attention," he said.

"I very much welcome their intention to engage in substantive discussions on the issues that have been raised and require resolution in the context of the continuing implementation of the St Andrews Agreement."

SDLP Assembly member Alasdair McDonnell said it had been a false crisis which revealed Sinn Féin's weakness.

He said the DUP had used veto powers over issues like the abolition of academic selection for children handed to them by Sinn Féin at St Andrews.

"As the two parties move towards their inevitable deal, people will ask why Sinn Féin had to engineer a crisis, threaten to pull down the institutions, then step back again when their bluff was called," he said.

"The man currently leading Sinn Féin is Peter Robinson - and he is leading them by the nose."