Powersharing possible if DUP treats everybody equally – Adams

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has said an agreement can be reached in the Stormont talks on the restoration of powersharing if the DUP agrees to treat everybody as equals.

“Can we get that? Yes we can, but only if the DUP enters into the era of modern political democratic norms,” he told RTÉ’s News at One.

“We’re here to do a deal with the DUP, there’s no other reason for us engaging in these talks, we have to get a deal that’s based on the rights of citizens. This isn’t about making new agreements, this is about the implementation and delivery of an agreement which is already made.”

Mr Adams had already insisted his party is "up for" an agreement with the DUP to reinstate the Northern Executive and Assembly.

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Latest deadline

The British government has set Monday as the latest deadline for the key Northern Irish parties to break the deadlock, although that time limit could be extended.

After Monday, in the continued absence of an Executive, Northern Secretary James Brokenshire must begin to legislate in Westminster for a budget for Northern Ireland.

Mr Adams said there wasn’t a row between his party and the DUP. “I have to correct the impression that there’s been some sort of a row, if it wasn’t serious the deal would have been done before this.

“Why hasn’t a deal been done? A deal hasn’t been done because the DUP thus far are not prepared to embrace the rights-based agenda which has already been agreed in other times, and what we need is a delivery of all these commitments.

Locked into talks

“Can a deal be done? Yes, of course a deal can be done. We’ve been locked into talks with the DUP at different times. Michelle O’Neill is meeting all the other parties here today, not just the DUP.

“What we need is very clear signals from the two governments that the rights which are available everywhere else in these islands, including Britain, should be available to here.

"Why can't people who live in the North have the same rights as people who live in the South, or because we're part of the British state, why can't we have the same rights that people enjoy in England, Scotland and Wales?

“This was agreed 10 years ago, this was part of the St Andrew’s Agreement, the governments are obliged to bring it in. There is a Scots Gaelic Act, a Welsh language Act, there’s an Act na Gaeilge in the southern jurisdiction. We need to have one here.

“There’s no clever plan by Sinn Féin to bring down the institutions or anything else.

Not getting respect

“[Late former Sinn Féin deputy first minister of Northern Ireland] Martin McGuinness served in office with three DUP leaders and it’s a sign of his frustration that he wasn’t getting the respect and more importantly people in the LGBT community, people in the Irish language community, people in ethnic communities were not getting the respect that they deserve.”

Mr Adams said he does not want to see this phase of the talks exhausted.

“The only reason we’re here is so we can get the rights that we’re entitled to under various agreements and which people enjoy everywhere else in these islands.”

When asked whether Mr McGuinness would have had a deal by now, he said no.

“Martin in his resignation letter made it very clear that the DUP needn’t think they were going to walk back easily and quickly into office. They can only come back into office on the basis of equality rights and respect.

“He made it clear that enough was enough. We’re prepared to put that to one side – that’s in the past, on a very straightforward, simple basis, that the DUP and other parties in the two governments fulfil the agreements they made with Martin McGuinness and which they broke on Martin McGuinness.”