SF: Crunch talks making progress

23/12/2006 - 13:43:50
Crunch talks between Sinn Féin and the British government are making progress, republicans said today.

Chief Sinn Féin negotiator Martin McGuinness said the party was working today on agreeing a deal on policing in time for restoration of devolved government in the North next March.

However, he described Democratic Unionist fears that the timetable would not be met as "provocative" and said the intervention was a cause for concern.

"For the last week Sinn Féin has been involved in intense discussions with the British government, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to try and resolve the outstanding issues in the peace process," he said.

"Progress is being made and this work will continue today. We are determined to do all that we can to find agreement with the DUP to get the power-sharing institutions up and running immediately after the March elections.

"The deliberately provocative statements yesterday from some senior DUP figures is a cause of concern to nationalists and republicans because key to moving forward is a commitment from the DUP to sharing power on the basis of equality with republicans."

The party is expected to call an Ard Comhairle, a meeting of the national executive, ahead of an Ard Fheis meeting of all members next year to rubberstamp joining policing scrutiny bodies the Policing Board and the District Policing Partnerships.

Republicans have opposed engaging with policing because of concerns like the handling of police agents. The DUP has called for engagement before agreeing to form a power-sharing government.

DUP MP Willie McCrea claimed yesterday that because of "dithering" by Sinn Féin the timetable would now be impossible to meet.