THE PEOPLE OF Northern Ireland deserve a government, according to Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin.
He described meetings with the five main Stormont parties in Belfast today as “constructive” stating that he was anxious to see the power sharing institutions restored as soon as possible.
“In a democracy, when people elect their public representatives they expect them to take their seats both in the Assembly and in government,” he said.
Speaking about the negotiations that are underway between the EU and UK, he said he believed the issues can be resolved.
He said told parties today that there is “a significant degree of confidentiality surrounding those negotiations and discussions”.
“I am in agreement with the need to provide space to both the negotiating teams to see if they can bring about a resolution of the issues around trade.
“I reiterated our very strong view that the constitutional position of Northern Ireland is not impacted, and has to be underpinned in terms of the principle of consent, and that is something we strongly assert, that there can be no undermining of the constitutional status of Northern Ireland as per the Good Friday Agreement and the principle of consent,” he said.
Martin acknowledged there are a lot of challenges, stating that he did not wish to understate the difficulties that both sides will face in trying to resolve the issues.
“I think the sensible thing to do is allow the EU and the UK to continue with the negotiations,” he said.
While the talks are ongoing, parties should focus on the imperative of getting the Executive and the Assembly restored, he added.
“I think Europe is very aware and sensitive of the points of view and concerns that the unionist community have put forward in respect of the protocol issue, and having that seamless trade within the UK single market,” he said.
“These are issues that have been advanced strongly by the unionist parties, both the DUP and the UUP, and other parties are clear that if issues of that nature can be resolved, they’re happy enough to see them resolved.
“I do genuinely believe that the European Union is very anxious to deal with those concerns that unionism has.”
Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie described the meeting with Martin as “very frank and very open”.
“We talked about the protocol, it is becoming incredibly frustrating, we are not being kept in the loop as to what is happening in regards to the negotiations between the EU and the UK, and if we’re not involved, if they try to bounce unionism, it’s simply not going to work,” he said.
“We need to know what is going on and therefore we can add value by raising red flags where we see there are problems and giving solutions, and the Ulster Unionist Party have always been about giving solutions.
“But we cannot be bounced on a deal which is simply not going to work in the long term,” he said.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has said the secrecy around the EU-UK talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol was “probably a good thing”.
He called on DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson not to be “spooked by anybody within loyalism” and to return to Stormont if there is “significant” enough change to the protocol.
“The discussions are being kept very tight, at a very senior level in the British government on the European Commission, and that’s probably a good thing,” he told reporters in Belfast.
“They’re in the tunnel,” Eastwood said, referring to the intense, tail-end stage that negotiations can enter.
“It’s very tight and they’re keeping it very tight. There’s obviously a lot of issues to talk about.
Separately, on the issue of the UK sharing documentation in relation to past atrocities, Martin said very recently the Irish Government has put that case to the British Government in respect of the Dublin Monaghan bombing.
“We want access to all documentation in respect of the Dublin Monaghan bombing. We’re not satisfied with the level of cooperation that was offered in the past in respect of that, and indeed others like Belturbet as well,” he said.
He said this all points to why the legacy bill that is making its way through the House of Lords in Westminster “should be withdrawn, in our view”, stating that “a pause button” should be pressed so that all parties and victims groups can get back into discussions. He said this is the most effective way to deal with the legacy issues of the past.
With reporting by Press Association
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