Brown focuses on Northern Ireland

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Gordon Brown cancelled this week's cabinet meeting to fly into Northern Ireland in an attempt to prevent the peace process from unravelling due to disagreements over power sharing and the devolution of power from Westminster to Belfast. The main issue is the handing over of policing and justice powers.

Underlining just how serious the rift had become, Brown and the Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen met party leaders at Hillsborough Castle and held talks that went into the early hours of the morning.

Irish foreign affairs minister Michael Martin said: "It is our intention to go through the night, and we are prepared to stay overnight to ensure that we bring these talks to a conclusion and to get the key issues agreed. There are difficult issues here to resolve and no-one is understating that but it is the governments' assessment that is within the capacity of all parties to arrive at an agreement here, that these issues are capable of resolution."

The prime minister's spokesperson said: "It was hard going but the parties engaged in good faith. There was frank discussion across a range of issues. The prime minister and Taoiseach remain determined that progress can be made, so discussions will continue on Tuesday morning. The PM is meeting the Taoiseach [again], followed by further meetings with the leadership of Sinn Fein and the DUP leadership later this morning."

The Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward insisted that the peace process was reaching its "endgame".