Brown and Cowen in Belfast talks
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Irish premier Brian Cowen have arrived in Northern Ireland to lead emergency talks aimed at saving Stormont’s crisis-hit power-sharing government.
The dramatic intervention by the British and Irish leaders was announced earlier after a last-ditch attempt by Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionists to find agreement over the devolution of policing powers failed.
Amid fears that republicans could collapse the fragile institutions – forcing a snap assembly election – if the DUP do not agree to a swift transfer of law and order responsibilities from London, the two governments will meet both parties at Hillsborough Castle in Co Down.
Mr Brown and Mr Cowen decided to fly to the province after holding talks at Downing Street.
“We believe that the problems that exist in devolving policing and justice are soluble problems,” Mr Brown said.
“We believe it is right for Northern Ireland to move forward in this way and we believe that together we can assist in the completion of these talks.”
