US monitoring North's crisis talks

The US administration is closely monitoring crisis talks aimed at saving the North’s power-sharing government, it was confirmed today.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been in touch with those involved in the negotiations, sources from her office said.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown led negotiations with the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Féin at Hillsborough Castle, Co Down, on the devolution of policing and justice powers into the early hours of this morning.

They had jetted into the region last night after a last-ditch attempt to secure a compromise between DUP leader and First Minister Peter Robinson and Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness failed.

Their dramatic intervention came amid fears that republicans could collapse the fragile institutions – forcing a snap assembly election – if the DUP does not agree to a swift transfer of the powers from Westminster.

A Downing Street spokesman said the talks had been “hard going” but the parties had “engaged in good faith and there were frank discussion across a range of issues”.

Mr Brown and Mr Cowen remained “determined that progress can be made” and would meet this morning ahead of fresh talks with the Sinn Féin and DUP leaderships, he said.