Sinn Fein: We and the DUP reached a "draft agreement" last week

By Q Radio News

Sinn Fein's president has said the DUP agreed a "draft agreement" on restoring powersharing with her party.

Mary Lou McDonald says she will be giving copies of its text to the UK and Irish Gvernments and briefing the other Stormont parties on its detail.

Ms McDonald said Sinn Fein advised the DUP to close the deal on the draft agreement before it could be "unpicked" by opponents but the unionists failed to do so.

She said the party would not publish the draft agreement but outlined some of its provisions.

The draft deal included an Irish Language Act, an Ulster Scots Act and a Respecting Language and Diversity Act, Ms McDonald said.

"The Irish Language Act included provision for official recognition of Irish, the creation of an Irish Language Commissioner," she said.

"The repeal of the ban on Irish in the courts was also to be legislated for.

"It did not involve at any stage making Irish compulsory or applying quotas to public services. This was not a consideration. "

No agreement was reached on marriage equality but both Sinn Fein and the DUP agreed to review "the abuse of the petition of concern", which makes it harder to pass legislation, ahead of an expected private member's bill on the issue.

Ms McDonald added: "It is up to Arlene Foster to explain this given that the DUP and Sinn Fein leaderships had achieved an accommodation across the issues involved.

"In fact we had a draft agreement by the end of last week. At that time we advised the DUP leadership that the deal should be closed before those opposed to it could unpick what we had achieved.

"We made it clear that if there was a delay there was every chance that the package would unravel.

"The DUP failed to close the deal and went on to collapse the talks process."