Talks aim to avert power sharing crisis

7:57am Thursday 4th September 2008

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein are to hold talks aimed at avoiding a crisis over the future of Northern Ireland's power-sharing government.

The negotiations follow a report by the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) which said the IRA had effectively ceased to exist, having disbanded its remaining structures.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Irish government said there is no further barrier to political progress, including the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Stormont Assembly.

The US government also welcomed the IMC findings and said that all parties should move forward.

DUP leader Peter Robinson, who had demanded confirmation that the IRA's ruling Army Council had disbanded, welcomed the IMC report.

But he added: "While it is marked progress that the IRA is no longer 'doing business', the unionist community needs to be convinced by the republican leadership that the IRA is out of business for good."

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams insisted the IRA had left the stage and said it is time to focus on ensuring the success of the fledgling government.

The DUP and Sinn Fein are divided over a series of issues including the devolution of justice powers, education reform, the future of the Maze prison site and the promotion of the Irish language.

The St Andrews political deal of 2006, which laid the foundations for power-sharing between the DUP and Sinn Fein, set May of this year as a target date for the transfer of justice powers.

The DUP has insisted it will not move on the issue until the circumstances are right, but Sinn Fein has threatened to pull its ministers out of the Stormont cabinet if progress is not made soon.