Adams: 'North's political stalemate is serious'

The stalemate in the North has developed into a very serious situation, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams warned today.

Mr Adams made his comments after he held private talks with Secretary of State Shaun Woodward at Stormont.

The Sinn Féin leader called for action to end the deadlock, but his remarks come amid fears that an Executive meeting planned for Thursday may not go ahead.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin dominate the Northern Ireland Executive and their dispute over a series of issues including the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster has blocked cabinet meetings since June.

Tonight Mr Adams said: “We are in a very, very serious situation at this time, all of us, all of the MLAs and more particularly those people who are looking to us for leadership to deal with the range of issues.

“We are going into the winter – whether it’s dealing with fuel poverty, whether it’s dealing with the hike in the energy costs... there isn’t a weekend passes now where somebody isn’t killed as a result of criminality or violence, (there is) the whole need for community safety.

“And the fact that the people here who have been duly elected aren’t even permitted, are denied the right, to bring forward legislation to deal with issues which constituents are concerned about.

“So we are in a very serious situation.”

The St Andrews Agreement set May this year as a target date for the devolution of policing powers to the Assembly, but the DUP has said it is not bound by any timetable.

The parties have agreed on the format of any new justice ministry and have decided someone outside their ranks will take the post.

But while unionists and the nationalist SDLP want Executive business to continue while the policing deal is negotiated, Sinn Fein wants a range of issues important to the party included in any Executive agenda.

Mr Adams said his party wanted to see partnership government where issues important to both unionists and nationalists are dealt with.

Asked if the British and Irish Governments may have to move in to help settle the dispute, the Sinn Fein president expressed hopes that the parties at Stormont could yet agree a deal.

“These matters are all better worked out by people here, but I come back to the St Andrews Agreement.

“It is an international agreement. We have the ridiculous situation where the senior party in these institutions deny that they support or that they are any part of the St Andrews Agreement.

“I am just very, very concerned at the attitude of some of the players here, I am very, very concerned at some of the recent utterances.

“I am very, very concerned that the core which has brought us all as a people to where we are at this point is being eroded by some elements who don’t believe in partnership.

“You don’t have to agree with the other person’s point of view in order to go into government with them, especially when you are coming out of conflict.

“You don’t even have to like the other person, but what you do have to do is build a shared future based upon broad principles.”

The Northern Ireland Executive has not met since June, but last week the two parties agreed to use special powers to allow First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson and Sinn Féin’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to attend a meeting of the British Irish Council in Scotland.

But there are doubts whether enough progress has been made to give the green light to an Executive meeting planned for Thursday and a high-profile meeting of ministers from Northern Ireland and the Republic planned for Friday.

The meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC) is part of the architecture of the Good Friday Agreement that is more important to nationalists than unionists.

Asked if this week’s Executive meeting might yet be cancelled, thereby throwing the NSMC meeting into doubt, Mr Adams said: “I don’t want to speculate. The fact is, there is time to agree an agenda.”