BRIAN COWEN and Gordon Brown were on standby last night to travel to Hillsborough this morning to ratify a deal to break the political deadlock.
There was considerable confidence last night that the Taoiseach and British prime minister will seal the agreement at Hillsborough Castle this morning after First Minister Peter Robinson felt sufficiently confident to call a meeting of his DUP Assembly party late last night.
On Monday some 14 members of the DUP parliamentary party rejected the deal thrashed out mainly between Sinn Féin and the DUP but last night Mr Robinson appeared in a strong position to carry the bulk of his party behind the agreement.
Members of the DUP Assembly group started gathering at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, shortly before 10pm last night for the critical meeting.
They included the former first minister the Rev Ian Paisley and his son Ian, former acting first minister Arlene Foster and Assembly members including Jim Wells, Trevor Clarke and David Hilditch.
They made no substantial comment on their way into the meeting. One of the 30 or so MLAs who arrived at Parliament Buildings said he was merely there “to clean my office” and queried how The Irish Times knew of the meeting.
Despite the reticence there was growing confidence a large majority of the party would support the deal allowing Mr Cowen and Mr Brown arrive at Hillsborough Castle today, although, sources said, there was the possibility Mr Robinson could suffer a “very small number of casualties” from the Assembly group.
It was possible a meeting of the DUP executive, also to vote on the agreement, would take place this morning to vote on the deal, sources said.
Much of the breakthrough confidence appeared built around the fact that earlier last night the most powerful of the DUP hardliners, deputy leader Nigel Dodds and East Derry MP Gregory Campbell joined Mr Robinson in talks with Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward at Hillsborough Castle.
“We are in the final stretch,” said a senior DUP talks source last night. Senior party members appeared confident the agreement negotiated over 10 days at Hillsborough could be sold to the DUP parliamentary team, including its sceptics.
This meeting involving Mr Woodward with Mr Robinson and other senior DUP figures at Hillsborough Castle took place despite Sinn Féin earlier insisting the Hillsborough negotiations which began last Monday week were concluded – a statement acknowledged as correct by official sources.
However, informed sources characterised last night’s meeting as an attempt by Mr Robinson to engage in “side deal” negotiations to try to ensure that a sufficient number of his Assembly team will back the main deal with Sinn Féin and the other parties.
Neither Dublin, London nor Sinn Féin was particularly perturbed by what were seen as 11th hour parallel talks by the DUP negotiating team.
Primarily, the DUP is seeking commitments that British prime minister Gordon Brown will support moves to compensate the 10,000 members of the Presbyterian Mutual Society who lost millions of pounds when the society collapsed. Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness is on record as supporting such an initiative.
Official sources said these talks were not the opening of new negotiations but were a “clarification exercise” by the DUP. Mr Robinson and his colleagues also sought assurances in relation to how the PSNI will be funded.
Since then there were alterations to the deal, which do not affect its substance, that could help DUP sceptics change their mind and support the deal, sources said. There were “presentational improvements” relating to parading and other matters in the text of the agreement, they added.