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Stormont talks: Theresa Villiers 'reluctant to predict deal' Stormont talks: Robinson says substance of deal reached
(35 minutes later)
A deal at Stormont inter-party talks in the next few days is not certain, the Northern Ireland secretary has said. The DUP and Sinn Féin have reached agreement on the "substance" of a deal at Stormont talks, First Minister Peter Robinson has said.
Northern Ireland's five biggest parties have been in negotiations about the budget and welfare reform, as well as past and present paramilitary activity. The DUP leader said "things are going in the right direction" and he was hopeful of a deal this week.
Theresa Villiers said there was still no resolution on implementing welfare reform, while legacy issues "also continue to be very sensitive". Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin said "great progress" had been made by the parties.
She said she was "reluctant" to predict when a deal might be reached. He said if the British and Irish governments applied the same urgency, a deal was achievable this week.
"It's still deal on, but there's more work to be done, and a lot of that work is between the parties and the governments," said Mr McGuinness.
Northern Ireland's five biggest parties have been in negotiations for the last nine weeks about the budget and welfare reform, as well as past and present paramilitary activity.
Mr McGuinness said negotiations had advanced to the stage where "if the governments move as speedily as we have done, all of this could move very quickly".
Mr Robinson said they wanted to "get the widest possible support" for any deal.
"The core of that agreement, the substance, has already been agreed in dialogue terms between Sinn Féin and the DUP," he said.
"We have to then put it into text form in a way that can get the support of the other participating parties - because two of the three other parties, I think, do want to get an agreement they can sign up to - and the two governments."
However, Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said she was not certain that a deal could be reached in the next few days, and was "reluctant" to make a prediction.
She said there was still no resolution on implementing welfare reform, while legacy issues "also continue to be very sensitive".
"I think it's increasingly urgent that we get these things settled - of course, I'd like to see them settled this week and I will be working very hard to achieve that," she said."I think it's increasingly urgent that we get these things settled - of course, I'd like to see them settled this week and I will be working very hard to achieve that," she said.
On Monday, Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Enda Kenny said he was hopeful that an agreement "might be concluded by the weekend".
He was speaking after meeting David Cameron at Downing Street. He later met First and Deputy First Ministers Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness in Belfast.
Mr McGuinness said afterwards that the talks were at a critical stage, and he believed all the parties wanted to see a breakthrough.
Negotiators have been holding talks at Stormont House for almost nine weeks.
The current crisis at Stormont was triggered when police said they believed IRA members had been involved in the murder of a former IRA man.The current crisis at Stormont was triggered when police said they believed IRA members had been involved in the murder of a former IRA man.
The parties have also been deadlocked over the issue of welfare reform.The parties have also been deadlocked over the issue of welfare reform.
The Northern Ireland parties had agreed on a welfare reform deal in December but Sinn Féin withdrew its support in March.The Northern Ireland parties had agreed on a welfare reform deal in December but Sinn Féin withdrew its support in March.