Bilateral meetings to be held at Stormont in a bid to restore powersharing

PA and Q Radio News

Politicans have just one week to strike a power-sharing deal at Stormont otherwise an assembly election will be called.

A series of bi-lateral meetings will be held later between the Secretary of State and the five main parties.

Parties are at odds on proposals to reform a contentious cross-community voting mechanism in the Assembly - the petition of concern aswell as Irish Language rights.

Yesterday Irish Language Activists from Conradh na Gaeilge met with the Secretary of State Julian Smyth.

Podraig Ó Tiarnaigh from the group says the UK Government has a duty to implement the Irish language act as a co-guarantor of the St Andrew’s Agreement:

Three years on from the collapse of the devolved government, the Stormont parties have until a January 13 deadline to strike a deal to revive the institutions.

On that date, legislation to give civil servants additional powers to run Northern Ireland's struggling public services expires and Mr Smith will assume a legal obligation to call a snap Assembly election.

DUP MP for East Londonderry Gregory Campbell said the deadline of January 13 means "there will be attempts to use it as leverage to get any type of deal over the line as opposed to detailed consideration in order that a good deal is achieved".

He said: "Whether it is one party (Sinn Fein) making unacceptable demands or other parties standing side by side to accept that the unreasonable demand is met, will make no difference to us.

"Where the Irish language has a perfectly acceptable place in Northern Ireland society and is resourced appropriately, as it already is, there will not be a problem or opposition from the DUP or wider Unionism, where there is an unacceptable and unreasonable demand to elevate it above all other minority languages, whether it is SF, other parties or Her Majesty's Government saying we will have to yield on this issue as it is preventing devolution returning, we will not do so.

"Let us all take this week to see what is doable, negotiate a balanced set of proposals and get it done instead of grandstanding in the hope of gaining a one sided victory."