DUP won't budge on key Stormont powersharing issues, Sinn Fein claims
The Sinn Fein chairman says his party will drop opposition to Arlene Foster returning as first minister if the DUP gives ground.
Tuesday 27 June 2017 20:49, UK
Sinn Fein has accused the DUP of refusing to budge on any of the key issues at the heart of the Stormont powersharing crisis.
Party chairman Declan Kearney hinted Sinn Fein could drop its opposition to Arlene Foster returning as first minister if the DUP gives ground on other disputes.
He said the DUP was not prepared to move on republican demands for a stand-alone Irish Language Act, the introduction of same sex marriage in Northern Ireland and a specific bill of rights for the region.
It comes after Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire warned that "time is marching on" to strike a deal.
The parties have until 4pm on Thursday to restore a devolved executive or Northern Ireland faces the prospect of a return to direct rule from London.
Mr Kearney said: "The DUP have not moved on any of the substantive issues which sit at the heart of this crisis.
"They haven't moved on any of the fundamental rights and equality issues that require to be embraced."
Mr Brokenshire said intensive engagement was continuing inside Stormont Castle.
He said: "It is about now reaching that conclusion, meeting that statutory deadline of Thursday afternoon and finding a way through in the best interests of Northern Ireland."
Negotiations involve the five main Northern Ireland parties and the UK and Irish governments, but their fate depends on whether Sinn Fein and the DUP can resolve their differences.
Mrs Foster was forced from office in January when Sinn Fein's then deputy first minister, the late Martin McGuinness, quit in protest at the DUP's handling of the renewable heat incentive scheme.
That triggered a snap Assembly election in March.
Three UK Government deadlines for a deal have already been missed, with civil servants running Stormont departments since March.
Rival Stormont parties have largely welcomed the additional £1bn investment stemming from the confidence and supply agreement between the DUP and the Tories.
But concerns have been raised over whether the UK Government has compromised its commitment to impartiality in its dealings with the Northern Ireland parties.