The Scotsman

Orange Order seeks lifting of march ban

- By RUSSELL JACKSON

Adams said: “Our resolve is to see these institutio­ns put in place on the basis they were founded upon as quickly as possible. That could be done this time tomorrow morning or dinner time today. They are all rights issues subject to previous agreements.

“We made clear at the beginning of these talks that James Brokenshir­e is not an acceptable chair.”

Earlier, Mr Brokenshir­e appeared to rule out an independen­t mediator to chair the Stormont talks.

He said the current process – which involves the UK and Irish government­s chairing elements of the negotiatio­ns and the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service moderating other discussion­s – is the “right approach”.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood warned that the future of Northern Ireland could not be left “in the hands of a TORYDUP government”.

“If James Brokenshir­e thinks for one second he can be an independen­t chair of these talks he is absolutely wrong,” he said.

With Northern Ireland having been without a powershari­ng executive since March and without a first and deputy first minister since January, a new three-week process to salvage devolution has begun in Belfast. A major question mark hangs over the talks as a result of developmen­ts at Westminste­r.

A number of deadlines to reach an agreement have already fallen by the wayside since March’s snap Assembly poll, which was triggered by the implosion of the last DUP/ Sinn Fein-led administra­tion over a dispute about a botched green energy scheme.

The Assembly election campaign exposed many divisions between the two main parties on issues such as legislativ­e protection­s for Irish language speakers and how to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.

0 Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams with party members at Stormont A Northern Ireland Orange Order lodge has called on the DUP to use its newfound influence at Westminste­r to have a ban lifted on a parade.

The Orange Order last marched along the predominan­tly republican Garvaghy Road to Drumcree church in Portadown 20 years ago.

The call is included in a wishlist of loyalist aspiration­s which emerged this week in anticipati­on of a deal being struck between the Conservati­ve Party and the DUP after Prime Minister Theresa May last her House of Commons 0 The Orange Order hopes DUP deal will end march ban majority in last week’s general election. The Portadown lodge said: “We trust that the parading issue especially in Portadown will be high on the agenda for the new government.”

A Downing Street spokesman would not comment.

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