TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen and British prime minister Gordon Brown left Northern Ireland yesterday evening having given the Northern parties 48 hours to break the deadlock in talks and secure a political agreement.
Following the failure of Mr Cowen and Mr Brown to secure a deal between the parties, the pressure is now on DUP leader Peter Robinson and Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister and chief negotiator Martin McGuinness to decide by tomorrow whether to agree their own proposals or accept the governments’ draft ones.
After spending two nights and three days with little sleep at Hillsborough Castle, the Taoiseach and the prime minister said that if the parties could not agree a way forward by tomorrow, they would publish their own “specific” proposals for an agreement.
If in turn the British-Irish blueprint is rejected, it seems virtually certain that the Northern Executive and Assembly will collapse and Assembly elections will be called.
“The importance of these decisions for the future of Northern Ireland cannot be underestimated,” said Mr Brown.
The British and Irish leaders set a May date for transferring policing and justice powers to the Northern Executive – which is Sinn Féin’s key demand – while pledging to “enhance the existing framework” for dealing with contentious parades – the DUP’s chief requirement.
The proposals, which are not yet fully detailed, do not include the actual abolition of the Parades Commission, it is understood, but rather “enhanced” mechanisms for addressing the issue.
During their press conference, Mr Brown described the proposals 10 times as “reasonable”.
“We look forward to receiving an update on progress from the First and Deputy First Ministers on Friday,” Mr Cowen and Mr Brown said in their joint statement.
“If it proves impossible for the parties to resolve the outstanding issues, we are prepared to bring forward our specific proposals at that point for wider debate and discussion.”
These proposals would also address such issues as the Irish language, tackling sectarianism and North-South relations.
They warned that if there was no agreement, the £800 million Mr Brown has pledged to support the setting up of a Department of Justice would be withdrawn.
Dublin and London believe this is a key moment when Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness must decide whether they have the ability and the confidence to act in a unified and decisive fashion without the supports of the British and Irish leaders.
Earlier yesterday, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, speaking in Irish, said he was “very dissatisfied” with developments. Mr McGuinness said Sinn Féin would “not be subject to a unionist veto or an Orange Order precondition”.
Mr Robinson said that issues of “life-and-death concern”, were narrowed during the talks. The DUP was “committed to ensure that devolution works in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland and will not accept any second-rate deal simply to get across the line to suit someone else’s deadline.”
SDLP leader Mark Durkan advised all parties to the talks “to just wind our necks in, calm down, sit down and face all of the issues with all of the parties”.
Sir Reg Empey, the Ulster Unionist Party leader, said the prize of agreement on policing and parades and other issues was too great to fail now.
Alliance Party leader David Ford, who is tipped to take the justice ministry if powers are devolved, said the process had reached an extremely serious juncture.
Further talks are continuing at Hillsborough Castle today, chaired by Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, who remained at Hillsborough overnight.