Dublin ready to talk to break impasse in North

The Government is committed to holding political talks to help break the impasse in Northern Ireland, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan will today tell the annual conference of the British-Irish Association.

As Sinn Féin and the DUP, primarily, remain deadlocked on a range of issues, Mr Flanagan will warn the association meeting in Oxford about the dangers of settling for a "negative peace" in the North.

"In the months ahead, and in facing current challenges, there is no viable alternative to the early resumption of political talks and the Irish Government is committed to using its influence and resources to achieve that objective," he says in his address.

For more than 40 years, alternating between Cambridge and Oxford, the association has brought together politicians, historians, academics, clergy, community workers and journalists to discuss the political process in the North.

Northern Secretary Theresa Villiers warned at the conference that Northern Ireland politicians must decide between a "paralysed" Northern Executive and making "hard choices" to ensure responsible government at Stormont.

Parades, flags and the past

Ms Villiers said: “There is a genuine fear that Northern Ireland’s leaders may be losing their invaluable ability to clinch a deal, to find a way through, to make – as Her Majesty said in Belfast City Hall – the seemingly impossible, possible.”

She referred to the difficulties over welfare reform and the failure to find agreement on parades, flags and the past.

The North’s two main parties are deadlocked on these: Sinn Féin refusing to move on welfare changes which are causing budget problems for Northern Ministers; and the DUP blocking moves to implement the Haass proposals on parades, the past and flags.

Ms Villiers said there will be no more concessions on welfare reform.