North's leaders closer to talks deal

Leaders in the North were today edging towards a deal to ensure they can attend a high profile political meeting planned for Scotland on Friday.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Peter Robinson and Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness share the office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister but it was feared their long-running dispute may prevent them attending the British Irish Council (BIC) talks.

The DUP and Sinn Féin are divided over the transfer of policing and justice powers to Stormont, but it seems a late compromise may yet see them attend the BIC meeting which brings together political leaders from across Britain and Ireland.

The Northern Executive has not met for three months as a result of the stand-off and key Government work has been blocked – including the granting of official permission to attend the BIC.

There was growing speculation today, however, that Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness may agree to use emergency powers to allow them to attend the event, thereby avoiding an embarrassing absence from talks which are to be led by the Irish and British governments.

The BIC was set up under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement to bring the Irish and British governments together with the devolved governments of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and the representatives of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.

Last week, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the Stormont parties to agree a date for the transfer of policing powers, but the DUP rejected his demand.

Today DUP leader Mr Robinson said his party had made progress on the policing issue in talks with Sinn Féin and wanted republicans to allow Executive meetings to proceed while those talks continued.

“I do not believe that there is any political, logical, legal or justifiable reason why the Executive should not be meeting,” he said.

“I want it to meet and want it to meet as soon as possible.”

The DUP leader said that in talks with Mr McGuinness his party agreed on the structure of a new justice ministry and had asked an Assembly committee to take the issue forward.

“And now we cannot make progress on policing and justice because the whole operation of the Executive is not going forward.”

Mr Robinson had threatened serious consequences if an Executive meeting planned for last Thursday did not proceed.

Sinn Féin refused to comply however because of the absence of agreement on the range of issues dividing the parties, which also include education reform and the future of the former Maze prison site.

The other two parties which sit on the Executive, the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP, joined the DUP in demanding an Executive meeting to deal with bread-and-butter issues, such as fuel poverty.

Mr McGuinness proposed the use of emergency legislation that allows him to sign off urgent business with Mr Robinson, without a meeting of the full Executive.

Mr Robinson refused to use the powers because an Executive meeting was scheduled to have taken place, but today there were signals he may agree to use the powers this week to rubber-stamp the BIC visit.

The next planned meeting of the Northern Executive is not scheduled until next week.

The stand-off between the two parties has already started to affect meetings of ministers from the North and the Republic, with fears that a full North-South Ministerial Council meeting planned for next week may also be in jeopardy.