Politics

No appetite for return to direct rule in North, says Coveney

Many matters in Northern Irish negotiations were close to being resolved, says Tánaiste

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

Vivienne Clarke
Thu Feb 15 2018 - 11:58

Tánaiste Simon Coveney is "hugely disappointed" by the DUP's decision to withdraw from negotiations to restore the Northern institutions but says there is no appetite for return to direct rule.

Talks to reach a deal to restore the Northern Executive and Assembly collapsed on Wednesday after DUP leader Arlene Foster said differences over the Irish language could not be resolved.

On Thursday, Mr Coveney said talks had gone well last week and many matters had been close to being resolved.

That was why British prime minister Theresa May and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had visited Northern Ireland earlier this week, as they believed both sides were close to agreement, he said.

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There had been "a basic understanding" between the two parties last week and it had been an issue of how it would be presented to the public. "What was expected was that the two parties would work together to present the agreement that could bring people with them," Mr Coveney told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

“We spent eight months trying to close the gaps between the sides. Those gaps were closed. That’s why I don’t understand yesterday. The gaps had been closed,” he said.

There had been a clear understanding and a recognition that the Irish language would be legislated for as part of a "basket of legislation" that included Ulster Scots Gaelic, in the context of language diversity in Northern Ireland.

The focus now was getting the talks back on track, he said.

Direct rule

Mr Coveney said there was no appetite for a return to direct rule and he did not think that direct rule was inevitable. “I haven’t given up and neither has (Northern Ireland secretary) Karen Bradley.”

There is a responsibility on the British government to ensure rigorous impartiality regarding how decisions are made about Northern Ireland, said Mr Coveney. How they can guarantee that impartiality while being supported by the DUP is a key issue, he said.

It would not be helpful to start laying down demands, he said, adding he planned on talking to the British government this week to see how best to work together.

The Irish Government, as a co-guarantor, has a role to protect the Belfast Agreement, he said. However, he did not want the Irish Government to be seen as a threat to unionists.

On the same programme, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said it appeared a deal was almost done before it “got unpicked.”

In light of the deal collapsing, he said the interests of Northern nationalists cannot be left to the DUP and the Tory government who will make decisions in a committee room in Westminster.

He said there was a need to ensure people who did not support the DUP are represented.

“The British government needs to hear what people are saying,” he said, adding the Irish Government needed input into decisions.

Mr Eastwood said if direct rule was introduced it would be different from previous versions of direct rule as the British government was being “propped up” by the DUP.

Focused

A member of the Sinn Féin negotiating team, MLA Conor Murphy told the programme an agreement had been reached in relation to a stand alone Irish language Act, “but the DUP leadership failed to close it out.”

He said it was important to get back to negotiations and that Sinn Féin remained focused on getting power sharing back up and running.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin called for an end to the “secrecy” surrounding the agreement said to have been reached.

“I believe the documents and proposals should be published”, he told the programme. A deal on power sharing is necessary to protect Northern Ireland, he said.

Ulster Unionist Party politician Steve Aiken also called for the publication of the negotiations between the DUP and Sinn Féin.

“This is the 403rd day that the DUP and Sinn Féin are supposedly working together. People are exhausted with this so called approach to the process,” he said.

He called for the issues and negotiations to be explained to the people of Northern Ireland.

Mr Aiken said the St Andrew’s Agreement and the Belfast Agreement had attempted to respect the languages of the island and to de-politicise the issue which should have remained the case.

However, Sinn Féin had “never pushed” it until the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Meanwhile, in relation to Brexit, Mr Coveney said Northern Ireland would be best protected during the current talks on the UK’s departure from the EU if it had its own voice, while Mr Martin was also concerned there was “no voice for Northern Ireland”.

Mr Aiken and Mr Eastwood expressed similar concern about Northern Ireland’s position in the Brexit negotiations.

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