TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen deferred a planned lunchtime meeting in Madrid with Spanish prime minister José Luis Zapatero yesterday to stay free to travel to Northern Ireland in the event of a breakthrough in the talks at Hillsborough.
Mr Cowen kept in close contact throughout the day with the ongoing negotiations between Sinn Féin and the DUP to resolve the impasse over the devolution of policing and justice powers, his spokesman said last night.
When a breakthrough in the deadlock seemed possible in the earlier part of the day, there were expectations that Mr Cowen and British prime minister Gordon Brown would travel to Northern Ireland to give their approval in the event of a proposal being agreed.
The Taoiseach’s spokesman said last night that the reason for cancelling the engagement was that the process was important and that Mr Cowen wanted to keep close to it.
He was in regular contact with Mr Brown yesterday as well as with Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, who was in Hillsborough Castle throughout yesterday.
Mr Cowen would assist the process in every way and would continue to play his part in the process, the spokesman said, but he would not specify if and when the Taoiseach would travel to the North.
Mr Cowen’s spokesman was speaking after DUP leader Peter Robinson said last night his party was not ready to agree a deal on policing, justice and parades.
Earlier, Sinn Féin said it believed a deal was in reach but after at least four hours of internal discussions, Mr Robinson said his party needed more time.
Mr Robinson said after leaving a meeting of his assembly group: “The group has identified, because the negotiations have not been completed, some issues that have to be resolved and items about which they need to be satisfied.”
Mr Robinson indicated his party wanted to see the devolved political institutions continue.
He said he would meet representatives from the British and Irish governments later last night, as well as members of the other political parties.
“The process is one that we have committed ourselves to as a political party,” he said.
A Sinn Féin meeting to brief its Assembly members lasted just over 90 minutes yesterday morning. The party’s junior minister Gerry Kelly insisted last night that an agreement was still within reach. “We are confident we can make the deal,” he said at Parliament Buildings in Stormont.
“There are a few issues which need to be sorted out.”
The Northern Ireland Chief Constable Matt Baggott and chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board Barry Gilligan arrived at Hillsborough yesterday evening for a progress report on the talks from the two governments.
The developments came after a weekend when hopes of a breakthrough rose. Both the DUP and Sinn Féin said significant progress was made last week during a marathon 100 hours of negotiations.
Mr Cowen and Mr Brown launched the dialogue last Monday but failed to secure a deal before leaving the venue on Wednesday. They want the two sides to agree to transferring policing powers from London to Belfast by the start of May. – (Additional reporting PA)