Charlie Flanagan ‘optimistic’ about next week of North talks

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has said "a chart has been set" as part of political attempts to end the latest Stormont crisis.

Speaking on his way into Cabinet on Tuesday, he said the situation in the North remained challenging and fragile.

“I’ve just come from Belfast to this morning’s Cabinet meeting. I’m more optimistic this week than last,” he said.

"I believe it was significant that all five party leaders sat down together in the same room with Teresa Villiers and myself.

“I do believe now that a chart has been set for the next few weeks. Things are extremely challenging.

“The political climate is fragile. But I do detect a willingness on the part of the party leaders to move forward and I believe we should do now intensively over the next three to four weeks.”

The current crisis was triggered by the murder last month of Belfast republican Kevin McGuigan who was killed in revenge for the murder in May of former Belfast IRA commander Gerard Jock Davison.

The PSNI chief constable George Hamilton in his assessment said the IRA still existed and that some of its members were involved in Mr McGuigan's murder albeit without the sanction of the IRA leadership.

This prompted a series of unionist protest responses with the Ulster Unionist Party withdrawing its Minister from the Northern Executive.

Subsequently DUP leader Peter Robinson stood aside as First Minister and withdrew all his Ministers from the Executive apart from Arlene Foster who is holding the roles of acting First Minister and Minister of Finance.

The commission, which was announced on Friday by Ms Villiers to facilitate the DUP angering the talks, is to report by mid-October.