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Adams hopeful on devolution deal DUP wants premiers to intervene
(about 12 hours later)
The Sinn Fein leader has insisted a deal can be done on the devolution of policing and justice powers but said talks could not continue "endlessly". Acting First Minister Arlene Foster has called on the governments to break the deadlock in talks between the DUP and Sinn Fein on devolving justice powers.
Gerry Adams said it was his view that outstanding issues could be resolved but warned that "backwoodsmen" could not dictate the pace of negotiations. She said "facilitation" would allow "a light to be shone on it all, because we certainly know what we have been doing over the last number of days".
His party colleague Martin McGuinness will give a report on the state of play to the Sinn Fein officer board later. Sinn Fein's Mary-Lou McDonald said the DUP had "not yet indicated they were ready to meet their commitments".
Mr Adams said he was likely to offer "options" rather than "firm proposals". Sinn Fein's ruling executive, or Ard Comhairle, is to meet on Saturday.
'Ridiculous situation' Ms McDonald said: "The St Andrews Agreement is now three years old, the process we've been involved in is one of completion and not renegotiation.
Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster, the Sinn Fein president agreed it was fair to say there was no sign of an immediate resolution to outstanding issues but added that he did not see why they had not been resolved before now. ANALYSIS Mark Devenport, BBC NI political editor
Mr Adams also claimed the transfer of policing and justice powers was now "over a year late". I think Mary-Lou McDonald's comments bring the possibility of a conclusion to these talks a bit closer.
"We are in this ridiculous situation where we have a legislative assembly and we cannot bring in legislation on policing issues, on law and order issues, on community safety issues, on sentencing," he said. She avoided saying the Ard Comhairle meeting would effectively mean the end of the talks - she was a bit more ambiguous, saying the party was willing to talk between now and Saturday.
Talks between Sinn Fein and the DUP about resolving the issues blocking a deal on devolution are set to resume later. The governments and other parties would be concerned that Sinn Fein's Ard Comhairle is empowered to take a decision on whether to make good on their implicit threat to pull out of the institutions.
'No deadlines' I think the onus will now come on the British and Irish governments to become involved.
BBC Northern Ireland political correspondent Martina Purdy said that if the Sinn Fein officers board decides to call a twice-postponed party executive meeting, that would be "seen as at least a cry for help for London and Dublin to intervene." "We want this to work - there's now an obligation from all of us, particularly the DUP, to step up to the plate, to meet their commitments and to make this work."
However she added that Sinn Fein was not yet at the point of taking the "nuclear option" of pulling Mr McGuinness out of the deputy first minister post. Ms McDonald was speaking after Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness briefed Sinn Fein colleagues on how the talks at Stormont Castle were progressing.
Mr McGuinness will update senior party members on Thursday Responding to her comments, Mrs Foster of the DUP said Sinn Fein needed "to get real".
When asked how close his party was to taking that decision, Mr Adams said Sinn Fein was "not threatening anyone" and "not setting down deadlines" but added that "people cannot just keep talking endlessly without product". "Let's have more government facilitation and indeed have the other parties involved as well," she said.
"Yes a deal can be done. Is a deal likely to be done if we just keep endlessly shuffling back and forth dealing with the same issues ad nauseum? No, it strikes me that the backwoodsmen would simply dictate the pace," he said. Mrs Foster said this would not necessarily mean hothouse talks at a country estate, as has happened in previous deadlocked talks.
'Sticking point' "We can do government facilitation without leaving Belfast, but what I do think is needed is a light to be shone on this process," she added.
DUP and Sinn Fein negotiating teams also spent most of Wednesday in talks in an attempt to resolve the impasse. Mary-Lou McDonald said Sinn Fein's Ard Comhairle would meet on Saturday
It is understood that parading was one of the bigger issues included for discussion on position papers passed between the parties. Mrs Foster said that she was "frustrated" there had been no Sinn Fein negotiation teams at Stormont on Thursday.
However, Sinn Fein's John O'Dowd insisted DUP leader Peter Robinson had been informed they would not be available as they were briefing party members on how the talks were progressing.
The question of how to deal with Orange Order parades is believed to be a sticking point between the parties, with Sinn Fein resisting DUP efforts to replace the Parades Commission.The question of how to deal with Orange Order parades is believed to be a sticking point between the parties, with Sinn Fein resisting DUP efforts to replace the Parades Commission.
The DUP wants an alternative way to adjudicate on contentious marches along the lines of interim proposals produced by a group headed by Lord Ashdown.The DUP wants an alternative way to adjudicate on contentious marches along the lines of interim proposals produced by a group headed by Lord Ashdown.
It is thought the DUP and Sinn Fein could try to reach a compromise position or agree to resolve the issue at a future date. Mrs Foster accused Sinn Fein of taking a "new position on parading" and said she hoped it would not "stand in the way of making progress on the outstanding issues".
SDLP leader Mark Durkan said failure by Sinn Fein and the DUP to devolve policing and justice powers "would only be resented by the public and welcomed by violent dissidents".
"It is clear that Sinn Fein mis-sold the St Andrews Agreement to nationalists by pretending they had not conceded a triple lock veto to the DUP - now three years on they show their hand and it is apparent they have nothing," he said.
"The DUP do not have the right to make a precondition of their false expectations on parades, just because they were encouraged by the flawed Ashdown proposals and the faulty Sinn Fein negotiation of them."