Sinn Féin in warnings ahead of review
28 June 2006 09:12
Sinn Féin has warned the British government that it is not prepared to participate in a Stormont Assembly which only serves to drive the Northern Ireland political process into deeper crisis.
Ahead of a review of its participation in the assembly, the party’s Chief Negotiator, Martin McGuinness, said his colleagues would not participate in a farce.
On the eve of a party meeting in Dundalk, Mr McGuinness said no political progress has been made in the past six weeks which, he said, was largely the responsibility of the two governments.
He said Sinn Féin was more than willing to be involved in any genuine effort to restore political institutions but it would not participate in a farce that was driving the political process into deeper crisis and making the public increasingly cynical.
He said the party’s review would begin this morning and conclude at the end of the summer.
His comments came as the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, prepared to travel to Belfast tomorrow for talks with the Northern parties.
In April, the two leaders gave the assembly parties a 24 November deadline for restoring power sharing.
