DUBLIN: Negotiations over outstanding issues hanging over the political settlement in Northern Ireland have resumed under the chairmanship of US diplomat Richard Haass.
Four of the five main parties sharing power at Stormont will restart discussions on flags, parades and mechanisms to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.
The Democratic Unionist party, the biggest in the Northern Ireland assembly, does not negotiate on Sundays because of its strong evangelical Christian base. But the DUP negotiator and Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson said he hoped a deal could be secured tonight.
“There are a number of significant issues that need to be resolved, particularly on parades and dealing with the past, and so we’re determined to try and close the gap if we can,” Donaldson said.
Haass and the co-chair, Meghan O’Sullivan, a Harvard academic, have crossed the Atlantic twice since before Christmas Eve in search of a breakthrough in the talks. Haass said he was back “for one final effort to help reach agreement”.
Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Féin deputy first minister, said: “For Richard Haass and Meghan O’Sullivan to leave here without making an agreement would be a terrible embarrassment for politicians, for the process, and would clearly show a lack of leadership qualities in terms of facing up to these very difficult challenges.”
The Guardian
