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Northern Ireland peace process talks end in deadlock after seven hours Northern Ireland peace process talks end in deadlock after seven hours
(about 1 hour later)
All-night political negotiations in Belfast have failed to produce an agreement to deal with unresolved peace process issues in Northern Ireland. All-night political negotiations in Belfast have failed to produce an agreement to deal with unresolved peace process issues in Northern Ireland. 
Seven hours of intensive talks involving Stormont's five executive parties chaired by the former US diplomat Dr Richard Haass ended about 4am without the pre-Christmas agreement that the one-time White House special envoy to the region desired. Seven hours of intensive talks involving Stormont's five executive parties chaired by the former US diplomat Dr Richard Haass ended about 4am without the pre-Christmas agreement that the one-time White House special envoy to the region desired. 
Haass, who has an end-of-year deadline to find consensus on disputes over flags, parades and the legacy of the Troubles, will now fly back for Christmas in the United States. Haass, who has an end-of-year deadline to find consensus on disputes over flags, parades and the legacy of the Troubles, will now fly back for Christmas in the United States. 
But he said he and the talks co-chairwoman Dr Meghan O'Sullivan, a US foreign affairs expert, will consider returning next weekend if they believe a deal could yet be struck. But he said he and the talks co-chairwoman Dr Meghan O'Sullivan, a US foreign affairs expert, will consider returning next weekend if they believe a deal could yet be struck. 
They will send questions to the parties from the US and, based on the answers, will produce another draft set of proposals, the fifth version created. They will send questions to the parties from the US and, based on the answers, will produce another draft set of proposals, the fifth version created. 
If the reaction from the parties to that new document suggests further progress can be made, Haass said he and O'Sullivan would fly back. If the reaction from the parties to that new document suggests further progress can be made, Haass said he and O'Sullivan would fly back. 
Emerging from the meeting at the Stormont Hotel, Haass insisted the process was not dead. "I am not in the business of doing postmortems here because the patient is still alive," he said.Emerging from the meeting at the Stormont Hotel, Haass insisted the process was not dead. "I am not in the business of doing postmortems here because the patient is still alive," he said.
However, Haass said there continued to be "significant differences and divisions" among the parties on all three issues being discussed. 
While some progress has been made on parades and dealing with the past, there appears no prospect of an imminent deal on flags. 
"The work done on flags is quite disappointing by any measure," said Haass. "But the other two areas have been, I believe, quite impressive and I believe it would be a real shame not to be able to turn that work into a reality.
"We would like to think there is reason to return." 
Appointed in the summer by the Democratic Unionist First Minister, Peter Robinson, and Sinn Fein's Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, to oversee the talks initiative, Haass has flown back and forth to the region, working up to a period of arduous negotiations over the past two weeks. 
A crunch plenary meeting had been due to commence at 11am yesterday, but it did not get under way until just before 9pm last night, with the politicians having spent most of the day assessing Haass's fourth draft document. 
The exchanges ran through the night, with Haass pressing for a breakthrough before he had to travel to Dublin to catch a morning flight back across the Atlantic. 
After the talks broke up without success, he said: "Let me be clear about this – we don't have an agreement, [but] in no way have we given up the possibility of still reaching an agreement before the end of the year. 
"We are not going to be able to put it underneath anyone's Christmas tree but we still have a week and if there is reason to return – I think we will have the answer to that question when we get the responses to a new draft that we will produce over the next few days – then both of us are willing to come back here, fly back here and give it one last push." 
It is understood the politicians have effectively conceded that another forum will need to be established to examine issues around flags over a longer timeframe. 
But if the fifth draft secures a breakthrough on the two other areas, it should pave the way for a replacement for the Parades Commission to rule on contentious marches by unionist and nationalist groups, and on a new mechanism to oversee dealing with the legacy of the past – potentially one offering limited immunity from prosecution to those who co-operate.
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