Agreement in offing to end Executive stand-off

The North's First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness are today expected to confirm they have agreed a resolution to the stand-off that has prevented Executive meetings since June.

A breakthrough in talks between Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) will now see a meeting of the Executive on Thursday bringing an end to the lengthy dispute.

The parties have refused to confirm a deal has been brokered, but it is understood they have negotiated a settlement on the devolution of policing and justice powers from Westminster.

DUP leader Robinson and leading Sinn Fein representative McGuinness will brief a Stormont committee this morning on how they see the transfer of policing powers moving forward.

It is understood that the meeting will mark the beginning of an agreed process on how the vexed issue can be dealt with.

The deal will end a stand-off that has threatened to derail the power-sharing government which only took office in May 2007 after a painstaking process.

Republicans said the DUP had frustrated a series of Sinn Féin policy priorities including education reform, the redevelopment of the Maze prison site and the introduction of an Irish language act.

The major stumbling block, however, was the transfer of policing and justice powers to Stormont as promised in the St Andrews deal of 2006.

The DUP insisted it was not bound by the target date of May of this year set for devolution of the powers and argued it will only move on the issue when there is sufficient confidence in the unionist community.

It is now understood that the parties have agreed a deal on the devolution of justice powers, with progress made on the other outstanding issues, though it is believed they will require further negotiation.

It has been claimed that while a date for completion of devolution will not be confirmed, the existence of a process to deliver the powers will give an indication of when the transfer will be finalised.

Further details of the agreement will become clear after the First and Deputy First Minister address the Assembly and Executive Review Committee today at 11am.

The meeting will be in closed session, but the political leaders are expected to release details of their plan afterwards.

The parties yesterday declined to confirm that a deal had been secured, but the DUP and Sinn Féin signalled that significant progress had been made.

On the question of a deal being agreed, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams last night said: “I am hopeful. We have made some progress on these matters.”

When asked when the next Executive meeting was likely, Robinson yesterday said: “The next Executive meeting is scheduled to take place on November 27; however, in circumstances where agreement was reached to hold an Executive meeting, it could take place sooner.”

The first item of business of the restored Executive meetings will be the unveiling of a financial aid package to help those worst hit by the international economic crisis.