Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward today called for “leadership” from the North’s politicians and demanded that the Executive must meet.
Mr Woodward said there was a majority in each community who wanted to see devolution within the next year and the parties must “continue working through their differences”.
But he warned that the risk from paramilitary groups was still “very real” and the threats faced by police officers were “higher than any time in five years.”
He said dissidents should not be given the opportunity to exploit any political vacuum which could occur if politics lost momentum.
He told delegates at Britain’s Labour Party conference in Manchester, the progress made so far in Northern Ireland had been a “new chapter in the history of politics”.
He said: “We knew the road to transfer policing and justice to Northern Ireland, would be long and winding. And it is our job — our purpose — to help the parties find resolution.
“It will still require great acts of leadership from the political parties. Of understanding. Tolerance. Mutual respect. But I believe there is a collective
will to succeed. Time can be a deadline but it can also be a friend.”
He went on: “It is a tense period in Northern Ireland. The Executive has not met since June. It needs to meet. There is business to be agreed. The parties need to find a way forward. But also tense because work needs to be done on policing and justice.”
Mr Woodward said the threat from the IRA had gone and the Army Council was
redundant.
But he warned: “There is still another threat today in Northern Ireland...and the level of threat, one fundamentally to the police officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, today higher than any time in five years.”
He added: “We must be careful that dissidents have no opportunity to exploit any vacuum, which may open if politics loses its momentum.
“To go forward the parties must continue working through their differences. Their leaders need to be supported in their acts of leadership, of courage and of faith.”
PA