International News

LONDON, July 3 (APP/AFP): The British government on Monday gave
squabbling leaders of Northern Ireland’s main parties more time to revive the province’s power-sharing executive after last Thursday’s deadline passed
without a deal.
Britain’s Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire, who has been
facilitating the talks, told parliament that “a deal remains achievable” but
warned the “hiatus cannot simply continue for much longer”.
The power-sharing government is a cornerstone of Northern Ireland’s
peace process and has been dominated by unionists.
A collapse of trust led to the withdrawal of the Irish republican
Sinn Fein party, which triggered a March 2 snap election in which the conservative, pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) finished only narrowly ahead of them.
After three months of negotiations, agreement has yet to be reached
between the two main parties, who between them hold 55 seats in the 90-seat local assembly.
Without a deal, the province would likely revert to direct rule from
London as a second snap election would run the risk of further polarisation of the divided electorate.
“I continue to believe that a deal remains achievable, and if
agreement is reached, I will bring forward legislation to enable an executive to be formed possibly as early as this week, but time is short,” said Brokenshire.
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement forged a peace process that ended
three decades of violent conflict in the province, with responsibility for health, education, justice and the province’s economy handed over to the local government.