Crunch time in talks

Politics May strikes ‘$1.3b deal’ with the N. Ireland party

LONDON, June 27, (Agencies): Northern Ireland’s squabbling politicians were in crunch talks Tuesday to form a government, a day after Prime Minister Theresa May promised £1 billion for the province in a deal to keep her in power.

If the feuding main parties cannot agree to form a semi-autonomous government in Belfast by 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) Thursday, then the province will be fully governed from London.

The power-sharing executive is the cornerstone of a peace process that ended three decades of violent conflict between Catholic Irish nationalists and Protestant British unionists.

A collapse of trust led to a March 2 snap election to the Northern Ireland Assembly, which has powers over matters such as health, education, justice and the province’s economy.

The conservative Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) finished narrowly ahead of socialists Sinn Fein.

Both parties were involved in late-night talks Monday ahead of talks with the three other major parties on Tuesday.

Sinn Fein’s John O’Dowd, a former education minister, said he was unsure whether a deal could be struck.

“I am an optimist and a realist,”

May

he told BBC radio.

“When there is talking going on there is always hope.”

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said: “We want to see an executive up and running. We haven’t set any red lines, no pre-conditions.