Sinn Féin Deputy Prime Minister Martin McGuinness is to seek a 'defining' meeting with First Minister Peter Robinson over the deadlock in Northern Ireland’s devolution talks.
Speaking outside the Sinn Féin ardcomhairle meeting in Dublin this afternoon, Gerry Adams said his party had decided not to pull out of the stalled negotiations altogether despite its frustration at the lack of progress in the talks.
He said Sinn Féin was committed to finding a solution, which he said could be achieved if there was the political will. He argued that his party had fulfilled its obligations under the terms of the St Andrew's agreement.
"The failure thus far by the DUP to honour this St Andrews obligation is symptomatic of a much bigger problem - their refusal to work partnership government," he said. He warned that if institutions government were not working, “then they become pointless and unsustainable”.
“This is not about Sinn Féin hyping things up. This is not a game of poker,” the party president said.
Mr Adams said the meeting between Mr McGuinness and the Democratic Unionist Party leader would be a “critical and defining engagement”. But he declined to spell out publicly what sort of timeframe his party was putting on the talks, beyond which they would pull out if no agreement were reached.
“We consciously decided that we weren’t going to go into anything which would be interpreted by others, deliberately or otherwise, as a threat or ultimatum or deadline,” he said. “But, having said that, if it isn’t working on the basis that it was established, then no self-respecting political party or public representative would be part of something which is fast becoming a charade.”
Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Prime Minister Gordon Brown will hold further telephone discussions this weekend over the issue. Mr Adams said the British and Irish governments must act as “guarantors” of a deal, “not referees”.
Sinn Féin backed the new policing arrangements in 2006 on condition that the Assembly eventually took over political responsibility for policing and justice from Westminster.
Mr Adams claimed yesterday the DUP derailed talks on the issue at Stormont by demanding concessions on controls over Orange Order parades. But Mr Robinson said progress was being made in the negotiations and claimed republicans were creating an unnecessary political crisis.
Ahead of today's meeting, Sinn Féin vice-president Mary Lou McDonald said: "We have said all along that we are in this to make the St Andrew's Agreement come into effect to ensure the institutions work - that is the Sinn Féin position. But this needs to be dialogue with a purpose, there needs to be product at the end of it."
In a detailed statement on his blog yesterday, Mr Adams illustrated his party's frustration and suggested the DUP had acted in bad faith.
“There has been no product thus far as a result of the negotiations. The time has long passed for the transfer of powers on policing and justice. There can be no preconditions to that. Not on the Parades Commission; not on marches; not on equality and partnership government.”
But Mr Robinson hit back saying negotiations do not end “until matters are resolved”. He said anyone who “steps away from the table at this stage endangers the whole process”.
He said republicans “have a unionist leader who wants to do business”.
He added: “I have the support of my party in resolving the outstanding issues. I’ll still be at the table . . . I hope that we will get down the business on Monday.”
Mr Adams’s blog was posted after a series of meetings at Stormont between Martin McGuinness and other parties and talks involving US special envoy Declan Kelly.
It is understood the US has underscored the importance of a deal and the dangers of a collapse of the Stormont institutions.
The talks difficulties continued against a backdrop of speculation about moves towards unionist unity involving the Ulster Unionists, DUP and the Conservatives.
