TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has said he and British prime minister Gordon Brown will do “everything we can” when they meet in Downing Street today to prevent the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive and a triggering of Assembly elections.
Mr Cowen is travelling to London for talks with Mr Brown on the serious impasse between Sinn Féin and the DUP.
Continuing wrangles over the devolution of policing and justice functions, as well as over the Parades Commission, have threatened to collapse the power-sharing arrangement between both parties.
The Taoiseach will be accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, while Mr Brown will be joined by the Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward, who has been more optimistic than others that an agreement can be reached.
There have been regular telephone contacts between the two leaders each day since Friday to discuss the situation.
“We are in a serious situation,” said Mr Cowen yesterday. “The ideal situation is for both Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson to come to agreement on outstanding issues that have to be resolved,” he told RTÉ.
He agreed that responsibilities now fell on both governments, as guarantors of the Belfast Agreement, to ensure that it was implemented.
“We will do everything we can to assist the parties.
“The parties need to move forward and get decisions consistent with the undertakings and agreements that we have.
“I don’t believe that the people of Northern Ireland see Assembly elections as the best option in these circumstances. They want the parties working together functioning together.”
Last night Downing Street was tight-lipped about the prospect for today’s meeting.
It would only say that Mr Brown had remained “in very close contact” with all parties in Northern Ireland and with the Taoiseach in recent days.
However, there are divisions between Dublin and London over the DUP leader Peter Robinson’s demands for the abolition of the Parades Commission since Mr Woodward has hinted at the possibility of concessions in the past.
During their last meeting on January 18th, Mr Cowen and Mr Brown both clung to the hope that the difficulties that have engulfed Mr Robinson could spur the parties into an agreement, but hope has since faded.
Separately at the weekend, a meeting of Sinn Féin’s ardcomhairle in Dublin directed the Deputy First Minister Martin Guinness to seek an urgent meeting with First Minister Peter Robinson.
In a statement the party described today’s meeting as a “a critical and defining engagement”.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said if the situation was not resolved it would not be because Sinn Féin were “bulling” for a fight or wanted to create difficulties.
He said that Mr McGuinness and the negotiating team had a very clear brief from the ardcomhairle, and if no agreement was reached it was because it was not sustainable.
“This is not a game of poker. If the institutions are not working and not delivering – then they become pointless and unsustainable,” said Mr Adams.
He continued: “If that is not possible then no self-respecting public representative or political party would want to be part of what would be nothing less than a charade.”
Mr Adams argued that there was also an onus on both the Dublin and London governments to set a definite date for the transfer of powers to Belfast.
He said that until now they have patronised both Sinn Féin and the DUP.
“To say Sinn Féin has to give a bit, and DUP has to give a bit, and for Gordon Brown to carry the white man’s burden, that’s all nonsense.
“The governments are not referees, they are not neutral, they are authors and signatories and guarantors of this agreement.”