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DUP leader Arlene Foster has said that no identity should be elevated above the other in Northern Ireland as talks continue in Stormont.<\/p>\nDUP leader Arlene Foster has said that no identity should be elevated above the other in Northern Ireland as talks continue in Stormont.<\/p>\n
Ms Foster said her party wants a fair and balanced deal.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile Sinn F\u00e9in announce that any deal agreed will contain an Irish Language Act.<\/p>\n
Political parties were continuing to work towards finding a way to bring the Stormont administration back into action today, with a number of meetings between different parties and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Julian Smith.<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s deputy leader Michelle O\u2019Neill announced that \u201cclearly\u201d there would be an Irish Language Act in any deal to restore the Executive, one of the major sticking points in previous negotiations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe issues are well rehearsed, we don\u2019t need to go over old ground again,\u201d Ms O\u2019Neill said.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly there will be an Irish Language Act as part of a deal but what we need to see is a package of measures that allows public confidence to be generated again in our ability to deliver good politics.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no doubt that there is a confidence issue in this Assembly and its ability to deliver.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat success looks like to me is, yes, there will be an Irish Language Act and yes, there will be a package of measures that looks at a range of issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
Members of Irish language group Conradh na Gaeilge (CnG) met with Mr Smith on Friday.<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill, who also met with the Secretary of State on Friday morning, said she made her party\u2019s position clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure Conradh na Gaeilge will make it clear also that what they\u2019re asking for is very, very reasonable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re asking for a commitment that was made many, many years ago to be delivered, and we\u2019re determined to see it is delivered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Irish Language Act is about respecting Irish national identity and making sure that we have no longer decisions that Paul Givan took three years ago when he discriminated against children learning Irish in the Gaeltacht, that\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to bring an end to, but what we want is to bring about new style politics in the Assembly that commands the widest public support.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill indicated that there was continued disagreement within the power-sharing talks between the four main parties and the DUP.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been numerous meetings, and we have been very constructive in our conversation, but there is clearly a lot more work to be done,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been positive work done across four parties in the main around some of the issues around the Petition of Concern, we have common ground in four parties and I hope that at some stage the DUP will come on to the same ground as the rest of us in terms of wanting to make this Assembly and Executive work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith due respect to the confidence of the negotiation, I won\u2019t get into the detail, but what I can say is that there has been very good work done to progress some of these issues and if we want a new style of politics here, we have to look at how this Assembly will work.\u201d<\/p>\n
The UUP leader said on Friday that he did not want to give any false optimism over achieving a deal for Northern Ireland in the near future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are into another day of intensive talks, very much concentrating on the program for government,\u201d party leader Steven Aiken said after a meeting with Mr Smith.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must get Northern Ireland working again, and we must concentrate on those issues to get Northern Ireland back up and running.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuite frankly, I don\u2019t know where we are.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a possibility of us achieving a deal but right now we need to concentrate on getting these substantial issues dealt with, we need accountable, responsible government going forward, there has got to be change.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this present moment in time I\u2019m not going to give any false optimism, I would like to see there being a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n