Taoiseach Brian Cowen and his British counterpart Gordon Brown are in Belfast for emergency talks with Northern Ireland’s political leaders tonight.
The move was unexpected and came after talks between DUP First Minister Peter Robinson and Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at Stormont collapsed earlier today after only thirty minutes.
Mr Cowen and Mr Brown began a meeting with the Northern Ireland leaders at 5pm at Hillsborough Castle in Co Down. Hopes of reaching a deal by tonight were dashed after sources said the two leaders had cleared their diaries for the coming days in anticipation of intensive exchanges with the rival politicians.
Speaking tonight during a break in talks Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly said his party had spoken to the two governments but not with the DUP.
Mr Kelly said nobody wanted to “hang about all night” and hoped to have the issues “sorted as soon as possible.”
He said: “The issues are very well known, we can have them sorted out very very quickly and we hope to have them sorted out very quickly.”
“But up to this point we haven’t reached that,” he added.
Earlier today after a meeting with Mr Brown in Downing St, Mr Cowen said: "We believe that our going there should help bring a conclusion to the devolution issues".
Mr Brown added: “We believe that the problems that exist in devolving policing and justice are soluble problems. We believe it is right for Northern Ireland to move forward in this way and we believe that together we can assist in the completion of these talks."
Neither Mr McGuinness nor Peter Robinson made any comment after their short meeting ended today.
Ahead of the Downing Street talks, Mr Brown had described this as a "critical week of decision for Northern Ireland”.
Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness appear locked in a brinkmanship struggle, with Mr McGuinness demanding a date for devolving policing and justice and the DUP leader insisting on the abolition of the Parades Commission as a trade-off for the transfer of these powers to the Northern Executive.
There appeared to be a growing acceptance in Dublin and London last night that Sinn Féin will not agree to the disbandment of the Parades Commission, although a compromise on parading, short of abolishing the commission, appears possible.
Political and official sources said the future of the current Executive and Assembly now hinges on whether Mr Robinson is prepared to step back from his parading demand.
Senior sources also expressed fears that the standoff has moved beyond policing and justice and parading with Sinn Féin fast coming to the conviction “that a proper working relationship with the DUP in the Executive is impossible”.
Mr McGuinness was in telephone contact with Mr Cowen and Mr Brown last night. “Martin McGuinness put it very clearly that there must be movement on policing and justice without the added DUP precondition on parades,” said a senior Sinn Féin source.
Were Mr McGuinness to resign as Deputy First Minister, Assembly elections would have to be called after seven days.
Hitherto Assembly elections would have posed major difficulties for the DUP because of the personal and financial controversies relating to Iris Robinson. However, the move towards an electoral pact involving the DUP and the Ulster Unionist Party to try to prevent Mr McGuinness being in line to take the First Minister post in such Assembly elections has eased some of the pressure on Mr Robinson.
