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Parades condition 'will not work' Justice talks continue into night
(about 1 hour later)
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has reiterated that devolution of policing and justice and controversial Orange Order parades cannot be linked. An all-party session of talks to try to break the deadlock over policing and justice is being held at Hillsborough Castle.
The British and Irish prime ministers have given the parties until Friday to close the gap, or they will publish their own proposals.
Alliance Party leader David Ford said talks were likely to go on late into the night.
He denied politicians were going through the motions.
Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey reflected on fact that while politicians continued to talk people outside were losing their jobs.
Referring to the announcement that 210 jobs were being lost at a drill bit company in east Belfast, he said: "If ever there was an example of the disconnect between politics and the experience of people in their everyday lives, today's announcement was clearly evidence of that.
"It's a matter of very deep regret that all these manufacturing jobs are being lost."
At a roundtable session on Thursday afternoon, the talks were widened to consider the problems at the heart of the executive.
Parades
Earlier, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams reiterated that devolution of policing and justice and controversial Orange Order parades could not be linked.
He was speaking before briefing party officers on the state of ongoing talks at Hillsborough Castle.He was speaking before briefing party officers on the state of ongoing talks at Hillsborough Castle.
Mr Adams said there was still a lot of work to be done.Mr Adams said there was still a lot of work to be done.
"Anybody who thinks that the price of policing and justice is a walk down the Garvaghy Road or Ardoyne is just ridiculous," he said."Anybody who thinks that the price of policing and justice is a walk down the Garvaghy Road or Ardoyne is just ridiculous," he said.
DUP MLA Sammy Wilson said that his party was focused on resolving the parading issue.DUP MLA Sammy Wilson said that his party was focused on resolving the parading issue.
Gerry Adams said devolution of the powers could not be linked to the issue of parades
He added that the party believed disputes were best resolved at "a local level" but that there needed to be a mechanism in place to allow that to happen.He added that the party believed disputes were best resolved at "a local level" but that there needed to be a mechanism in place to allow that to happen.
All party talks resumed at 1500 GMT.
SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the talks were making more progress than they had on Wednesday, when the British and Irish prime ministers left Hillsborough without a deal.SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the talks were making more progress than they had on Wednesday, when the British and Irish prime ministers left Hillsborough without a deal.
The political parties have just one day left to reach agreement before the two governments publish their own proposals for policing and justice devolution.
The negotiations are being led by Secretary of State Shaun Woodward and Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin.The negotiations are being led by Secretary of State Shaun Woodward and Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin.
Gordon Brown and Brian Cowen left Hillsborough, after hosting two marathon days and nights of intense political negotiations over the issue which has threatened the stability of power-sharing at Stormont.Gordon Brown and Brian Cowen left Hillsborough, after hosting two marathon days and nights of intense political negotiations over the issue which has threatened the stability of power-sharing at Stormont.
'Progress made'
The two biggest political parties in Northern Ireland, the DUP and Sinn Fein, have been arguing over the timetable for the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to locally elected politicians for months.The two biggest political parties in Northern Ireland, the DUP and Sinn Fein, have been arguing over the timetable for the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to locally elected politicians for months.
In a class="inlineText" href="/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8484174.stm">joint statement, the two prime ministers said that progress had been made "inch by inch, slowly but surely" during the latest round of talks. Before leaving Northern Ireland on Wednesday, the British and Irish prime ministers said they believed there was a "firm basis" for the parties to set a date in early May for the devolution of policing and justice and to "enhance the existing framework to deal more effectively with contentious parades".
The premiers said they believed there was a "firm basis" for the parties to set a date in early May for the devolution of policing and justice and to "enhance the existing framework to deal more effectively with contentious parades".
The issue of parades has caused friction in the negotiations, with Sinn Fein complaining that the DUP had made the abolition of the Parades Commission a "pre-condition" to a deal on policing and justice.The issue of parades has caused friction in the negotiations, with Sinn Fein complaining that the DUP had made the abolition of the Parades Commission a "pre-condition" to a deal on policing and justice.
BBC Northern Ireland's political correspondent, Martina Purdy, said that because the governments were suggesting that a new justice minister could be in place by early May, it could be seen that they had come down on the side of Sinn Fein.
Churches' supportChurches' support
However, she added that DUP had not agreed to the suggested date and said "the price and conditions around that will be source of a lot of argument".
She also said that sources within the DUP indicated the mood within the party was "buoyant" because they were "standing up for unionism" and "standing firm on the issue of progress on parades".
Late on Wednesday night, the leaders of Ireland's four main churches called on all the political parties to redouble their efforts to reach a settlement.Late on Wednesday night, the leaders of Ireland's four main churches called on all the political parties to redouble their efforts to reach a settlement.
Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop Alan Harper, Presbyterian Moderator Dr Stafford Carson and Methodist President Rev Donald Ker said they believed that "the people of Northern Ireland expect their representatives to ensure that agreement is reached".Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop Alan Harper, Presbyterian Moderator Dr Stafford Carson and Methodist President Rev Donald Ker said they believed that "the people of Northern Ireland expect their representatives to ensure that agreement is reached".
"We have come a very long way as a society since the dark days of the Troubles. There is an overwhelming desire throughout Northern Ireland for continued political progress and for the peace process to be sustained.
"No-one wishes to return to the tragic patterns of the past and we believe that responsibility of the politicians is to ensure that there is no return to dysfunctional division," the statement said.