The Government has no intention of leaving Northern Ireland in an "economic stasis" while parties prevaricate, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has said.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern
Addressing the Fianna Fáil Ardfheis in Dublin, Mr Ahern said prosperity means driving the all-island economy forward, with the North and South moving together.
The days of economic partition were over, Mr Ahern said.
"That economic dysfunction cut towns from hinterlands, and deprived my county, like all border counties, of its full potential. It will take time and money and determination to rectify. But we have laid the foundations. And we have agreed a way forward with the British."
"Having launched a blueprint for an all-island economy, we move forward now to implementation."
Mr Ahern said that now, more than ever, the North requires "clear political leadership".
"The current impasse is surmountable. It can be overcome. We are ready to provide all the assistance needed. We have never been so close. The public, North and South, nationalist and unionist, expect their leaders to grasp this opportunity.
"But if the DUP cannot or will not move on power-sharing and if Sinn Féin cannot or will not move on policing, we cannot and we will not walk away. We have no intention of leaving the North in an economic stasis as parties prevaricate."
"If we have to we will move ahead anyway - to build jobs and prosperity across the island. On the economic front our message is clear - we won't leave the North behind."
Mr Ahern also committed himself to finding a "fair deal" for undocumented Irish people living in the United States. He said he had travelled to the US more than 15 times since becoming Minister and would go there again next week to pursue the issue.