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Northern Ireland will only move forward when the region\u2019s differing identities are respected by all, resigning First Minister Arlene Foster has said.<\/p>\nNorthern Ireland will only move forward when the region\u2019s differing identities are respected by all, resigning First Minister Arlene Foster has said.<\/p>\n
Making her resignation speech to the Assembly chamber, the ousted DUP leader said her time as First Minister may have ended \u201cabruptly\u201d but she vowed to pursue \u201cunfinished business\u201d in championing Northern Ireland in other ways.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster, who acknowledged she had not always made the right calls, became emotional as she closed her speech with an appeal for MLAs to act as \u201cgood neighbors\u201d.<\/p>\n
Assembly colleagues applauded as Mrs Foster ended her speech with the line \u201cover and out\u201d.<\/p>\n
During her speech she addressed the row over the Irish language that threatens to destabilize the power-sharing administration in the wake of her resignation.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us realize in every corner of this House, that people live here who have an Irish identity, a British identity, some have a British and Irish identity, some are British and Northern Irish and there are new emerging identities, but for all of us this place is called home,\u201d Mrs Foster told MLAs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can poke each other in the eye and have a competition of \u2018my identity is better than yours\u2019 but it is only by respecting each other\u2019s identity that we will move forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe beauty of the Union is that we can all have our identities and live here side by side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her remarks come amid an intensifying dispute over the process to replace her.<\/p>\n
A stand-off between Sinn F\u00e9in and the DUP on the vexed issue of Irish language legislation has the potential to derail the power-sharing institutions unless a resolution is found in the coming days.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster\u2019s formal resignation as joint head of the Northern Ireland Executive sets the clock ticking on a seven-day time frame within which the DUP must renominate its chosen successor, Lagan Valley MLA Paul Givan.<\/p>\n
However, the joint nature of the office Mrs Foster shares with Deputy First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill of Sinn F\u00e9in means Ms O\u2019Neill must also be renominated to her role within those seven days.<\/p>\n
If one of the parties fails to renominate within the time period, a properly functioning executive cannot be formed and the UK government assumes a legal responsibility to call a snap Assembly election.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, a simmering row over the process escalated when Sinn F\u00e9in made clear it would only engage in the renomination process if it was accompanied by the commencement of legislating for protections for Irish language speakers.<\/p>\n
On Monday, DUP leader Edwin Poots said there could be no preconditions attached to the nomination process.<\/p>\n
He reiterated that he was committed to implementing all outstanding aspects of the 2020 deal to restore power-sharing, including Irish language legislation.<\/p>\n
However, he declined to indicate whether he would move on the language laws in the current Assembly mandate, a Sinn F\u00e9in demand, and insisted there were other priorities the Executive should be focusing on, including the health service and economy.<\/p>\n