Foster plays down significance of '˜talks about talks'

The ‘talks about talks’, at Stormont House will involve the five main parties – the DUP, Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the UUP and the Alliance Party.

Each party will separately meet Secretary of State Karen Bradley, with limited expectations from any quarter of a significant breakthrough after 10 weeks in which relations between the DUP and Sinn Féin have deteriorated rapidly.

One source referred to the discussions as “exploratory” in nature, rather than involving any substantive discussion of the issues which divide the two dominant parties – with a critical stumbling block being Sinn Féin’s demand for an Irish language act before devolution is restored.

Although the secretary of state has been in contact with the main parties over recent months, it will be the first time since the collapse of the last talks process that she has sat down with all of them in the course of a day.

Mrs Foster pulled the DUP out of the process in February after almost a year of intermittent talks with Sinn Féin and a four-week intensive period of party-to-party negotiation at the start of this year.

That process led to what was, at the very least, an advanced version of a draft agreement between the parties which subsequently was leaked, showing that there would have been an Irish language act but also legislation for Ulster Scots, a DUP attempt to balance the deal.

Mrs Foster played down the significance of today’s discussion, describing it as “a routine meeting with the secretary of state” and adding that she would be “urging the secretary of state to ensure that necessary decisions are taken and the people of Northern Ireland do not suffer because of Sinn Fein’s narrow agenda”.