Justice talks over without a deal-Sinn Féin
TALKS on the devolution of policing and justice are at an end without a deal being struck-according to Sinn Féin.
Senior Sinn Féin politician Alex Maskey confirmed the current round of negotiations had ended. He said tomorrow’s meeting of the Sinn Féin Executive, or Ard Comhairle would decide on the way forward.
The option of pulling Londonderry’s Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness out of Stormont will be on the table at that meeting in Dublin. Should the decision to collapse the Power Sharing Executive collapse, it is possible that it would trigger a snap Assembly election.
Mr McGuinness had earlier met with the Shadow Secretary of State Owen Paterson to discuss political instability. Mr Paterson had met Acting First Minister Arlene Foster on Thursday. It is also understood that representatives of both the British and Irish governments had been involved in what have described in some quarters as “frenetic phone calls” in an attempt to rescue a deal.
Sinn Féin have claimed that they informed the DUP that the current round of talks were over on Wednesday night as far as they were concerned. In a counter claim, the DUP said that party representatives had waited at Stormont on Thursday, but no Sinn Féin negotiators had turned up.
The republican party claim that the DUP knew that none of their representatives were available for talks either on Thursday or Friday. Sinn Féin claim the talks have faltered over the issues of parading and the scrapping of the Parades Commission.
However, earlier on Friday, DUP MP Gregory Campbell said that his party required “product” before progress could be made.
Sinn Féin have also said that the “door remains open” on talks, but Alliance leader David Ford chided both parties and said politicians needed to “grow up and reach an accomodation.”
Mr Ford also said the process “was sliding towards a crisis.”
