TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen and British prime minister Gordon Brown were late last night trying to agree a blueprint with the main Northern parties that would resolve the DUP/Sinn Féin stand-off over policing and justice, and parades.
Both leaders were again working late into the night at Hillsborough Castle in their push to find an 11th-hour agreement between the DUP and Sinn Féin that would prevent the collapse of the Northern Executive and Assembly.
The Taoiseach and British prime minister, according to well-placed sources, proposed there should be a pre-Westminster election date for devolving policing and justice powers to the Executive. This is the long-standing key demand of Sinn Féin.
Sources said the date could be early May. This could be line with Sinn Féin demands as the British general election is expected to be called for sometime later that month.
The two leaders also proposed there should be significant changes to the methods of dealing with contentious parades. “What is key is that there is cross-community support for the mechanisms to address parades and that they enhance the prospects of resolving contentious parades,” said a source.
This was designed to try to address the chief demand of the DUP leadership over parades, the sources said. DUP leader Peter Robinson had been seeking the abolition of the Parades Commission.
It is understood that the commission would remain in existence pending a review which would examine whether there could be a workable alternative to the commission, whether the remit of the commission could be changed or expanded, or whether there could be other arrangements that would operate in tandem with the commission. An attempt would also be made to resolve controversial parades such as Drumcree and Ardoyne.
Mr Cowen and Mr Brown hosted roundtable talks with the five main parties at 7pm where they tried to put together their “best read” of what would constitute a formula for ending the deadlock.
Sources added that the leaders were also seeking a formula that would address issues such as the Irish language and sectarianism. The plenary session lasted for some about 90 minutes. Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness sat beside DUP leader Peter Robinson and his deputy Nigel Dodds at the meeting.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin told reporters the session was “very constructive” and was providing “a positive platform” for a series of bilaterals taking place late last night with Mr Cowen and Mr Brown.
The Taoiseach and prime minister urged the parties to consult together to discuss the various proposals and ideas for ending the logjam, according to the talks insiders.
“There is no predetermined outcome to what is happening but all the parties are seriously engaged and the two leaders are determined to try to see this through to a successful outcome. It will be a late night,” said one source.
Mr Cowen and Mr Brown are anxious that if there is a deal Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness “will take ownership of the agreement to demonstrate to the public that powersharing politics is working in Northern Ireland”, he added.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton spoke by phone with Mr Brown on developments in the talks. She also spoke to Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness. Mrs Clinton is due in London for talks this week, which gave rise to speculation that she could make an unscheduled visit to the North, if her intervention would assist the negotiating process.