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| Northern Ireland talks end in deadlock | Northern Ireland talks end in deadlock |
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| The five main political parties in Northern Ireland have hit deadlock on outstanding issues in the peace process after a marathon overnight session of talks that brought months of negotiations to a head. | |
| Talks broke up in the early hours of Tuesday morning after discussions that had reached a climax under the chairmanship of the American diplomat Dr Richard Haass. | |
| The talks covered a range of issues from Northern Ireland's history including unsolved murders from the Troubles, the route of loyalist parades and the flying of national flags – all matters that have repeatedly brought violence back to the surface of life in Northern Ireland despite the Good Friday Agreement that allowed the devolution of power to the assembly at Stormont. | The talks covered a range of issues from Northern Ireland's history including unsolved murders from the Troubles, the route of loyalist parades and the flying of national flags – all matters that have repeatedly brought violence back to the surface of life in Northern Ireland despite the Good Friday Agreement that allowed the devolution of power to the assembly at Stormont. |
| Reports on Tuesday morning indicated that at the conclusion of the session Sinn Féin had been ready to agree to proposed terms but the main unionist party, the DUP, was not. | Reports on Tuesday morning indicated that at the conclusion of the session Sinn Féin had been ready to agree to proposed terms but the main unionist party, the DUP, was not. |
| Haass had presented the parties with the seventh draft of a document intended to resolve outstanding controversies of the Irish peace process. Among the proposals was the establishment of a new "Implementation Reconciliation Group" that would take six months to discuss an action plan on three major issues still dogging the power sharing settlement between the two communities in Northern Ireland. | Haass had presented the parties with the seventh draft of a document intended to resolve outstanding controversies of the Irish peace process. Among the proposals was the establishment of a new "Implementation Reconciliation Group" that would take six months to discuss an action plan on three major issues still dogging the power sharing settlement between the two communities in Northern Ireland. |
| Haass had described the agreement as a "remarkable opportunity to make bold choices to address the issues that hold us back". Sources at the talks had held out hope of an agreement by the early hours of Tuesday. | |
| Gerry Adams, the Sinn Féin president, said afterwards that his negotiating team was supporting the Haass recommendations and taking them to the party executive. | |
| "I think a lot of good work has been done … at some time you have to call it, you can't just continue. So we've called it and we'll do our best and work with all parties to get beyond this position." | |
| Adams declared all the parties had a duty to further generations beyond themselves who would "vote with their feet and go and live in Scotland or England or somewhere else" if the outstanding issues were not resolved. | |
| Adams suggested that if the parties did not make progress Sinn Féin had a "Plan B" and would seek the imposition of a "roadmap" to push matters to a resolution. | |
| Haass, speaking after Adams, just before 6am, said the process was not over and he expected the negotiators to go back to their parties ahead of what he hoped would be the formation of a working group. | |
| "We now have a final text given to the five parties … several hours ago. The parties can speak for themselves but let me simply say all the parties support significant parts of the agreement. At the same time all have some concerns." | |
| At least one of the parties had agreed to recommend the text as a whole to its executive, Haass said. Two others were bringing it to their executives for examination. | |
| "We very much hope the parties reflect on this, discuss it with their leadership and then come back with a strong endorsement. Over the next week we will know a lot more but we are both confident this agreement will garner significant political support." | |
| Haass said he and the co-convenor of the talks, Dr Meghan O'Sullivan, a US foreign policy expert and former adviser to George Bush, would forward the full 48-page text of the agreement to Northern Ireland's first minister and deputy first minister "and urge them to make it public in its entirety – we believe it will receive significant public support". | |
| One of the most controversial issues has been the legacy of the past conflict in which 3,500 people died. Around 3,000 of those killings remain unsolved and the Haass talks had discussed the creation of a new police investigative body to re-examine these cases. Thousands more suffered injuries and psychological trauma in three and a half decades of violence. | One of the most controversial issues has been the legacy of the past conflict in which 3,500 people died. Around 3,000 of those killings remain unsolved and the Haass talks had discussed the creation of a new police investigative body to re-examine these cases. Thousands more suffered injuries and psychological trauma in three and a half decades of violence. |
| The body that would replace the Historical Enquiries Team would have to investigate killings by the IRA, the loyalist paramilitaries and a number of controversial incidents involving the security forces. The UUP has expressed concern that soldiers and police officers could be treated equally with paramilitaries, in terms of being forced to give evidence, and face possible prosecutions. | The body that would replace the Historical Enquiries Team would have to investigate killings by the IRA, the loyalist paramilitaries and a number of controversial incidents involving the security forces. The UUP has expressed concern that soldiers and police officers could be treated equally with paramilitaries, in terms of being forced to give evidence, and face possible prosecutions. |
| Other issues such as flags and parades have been triggers for sectarian disorder and rioting since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. | Other issues such as flags and parades have been triggers for sectarian disorder and rioting since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. |
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