TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen and British prime minister Gordon Brown are meeting in Downing Street this afternoon to discuss the political uncertainty in Northern Ireland as the DUP and Sinn Féin press ahead with efforts to break the logjam over policing and justice.
Dublin and London viewed as positive acting First Minister Arlene Foster’s comment yesterday that resolving the Sinn Féin/DUP standoff to facilitate the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Executive was “the last piece of the jigsaw”.
Mr Cowen and Mr Brown will today make clear that they stand ready to assist the parties to reach agreement while also acknowledging that a breakthrough hinges on the negotiating skills and the will of the DUP and Sinn Féin talks teams to end the deadlock.
“We don’t want to do or say anything that would make matters more difficult but the two leaders are likely to also issue the reminder that the current momentum must not be lost and now is the time to take action to create political stability,” said a senior official source.
DUP leader Peter Robinson, who has temporarily stood down as First Minister, was in London yesterday on personal business relating to his wife Iris’s illness but has been keeping in touch with the negotiations and is due to be directly involved shortly.
The DUP and Sinn Féin refused to provide any detail on progress so far in the talks, which the governments also saw as positive in itself and a sign of serious and constructive engagement.
Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward, who met Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin in Dublin on Tuesday night, called on unionists to reach a deal on policing and justice.
He warned against parties leaving a political “vacuum” that could be exploited by dissident republicans.
Arlene Foster’s elevation to the post of acting First Minister and her key involvement in the talks was seen as significant to progress being made.
“Arlene is working intensively to overcome the bad personal chemistry between Sinn Féin and the DUP and that is particularly helpful,” said one Stormont insider.
While Ms Foster was also tight-lipped in relation to any detail, her comments pointed to continuing behind-the-scenes progress.
She said the PSNI was already accountable but stressed that the DUP must ensure any deal was done “in the right way”.
“I believe it will be for the best for the people of Northern Ireland, but we must do it in a way that we bring it to a Northern Ireland that is stable so the policing powers that come here will be durable and lasting,” Ms Foster told the BBC.
“Our chief constable would say he’s already the most accountable chief constable in these islands,” she added.
“There is a lot of devolved power already in Northern Ireland in relation to policing and justice – this is really the last piece of the jigsaw and we want to make sure that we’re doing it in the right way.”
While the Traditional Unionist Voice party leader Jim Allister and even relatively moderate Ulster Unionist Party leader Sir Reg Empey raised further hurdles for the DUP to make a deal, both the DUP and Sinn Féin negotiating teams appeared to be making steady progress.
Sir Reg, who held talks with Mr Brown yesterday, insisted that the DUP should not finalise a deal on devolving policing and justice powers “under duress”.
Alliance leader David Ford, who could be in line for the justice ministry if policing is devolved, accused Sir Reg of acting irresponsibly out of party self-interest.
New Sinn Féin MLA for East Derry Billy Leonard accused Sir Reg of engaging in “unionist politicking at its best”.
Mr Allister said the TUV utterly rejected “any transfer at any time of justice powers to a terrorist-inclusive Executive”.
“No unionist should be delivering the Sinn Féin agenda. Period!” he added.
DUP environment minister Edwin Poots accused Mr Allister of seeking to “split unionism” and of making allegations against the DUP that were “bogus”.