FOUR SINN FÉIN leaders will be in London today, aiming to find compromises on issues in the North ahead of marching season.
The delegation, headed by Gerry Adams, will meet the British Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour Party leader Ed Miliband in separate meetings to discuss the Haas talks.
The meeting be the first Downing Street talks between Adams and Cameron and come as a new round of talks on the past, policing and flags is set to begin.
Adams will be joined by the North’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, vice-president of the party Mary-Lou McDonald and Fermanagh/South Tyrone MP Michelle Gildernew.
With the loyalist marching season imminent, any agreement on flags will be difficult.
No substantial talks have taken place on the issues since the former chair, US diplomat Richard Haas, broke up talks without reaching an agreement.
The Ulster Unionist Party, the DUP, Sinn Fein the SDLP and Alliance are due to begin six days of discussions today, aiming to break the impasse.
Only the Union flag issue and parades are likely to feature in this round of discussion.
Unionists say that they want to leave talks on the past until after the report into “on-the-runs” is issued later this month.
Adams said that the fact that he has not met Cameron since 2010 is “deplorable”.
““This will be the first meeting that the British Prime Minister David Cameron will have held with the Sinn Féin leadership since he took office in 2010.
“This is deplorable and evidence of the British government’s failure thus far to properly engage with the process of change in the north.
“Key to making progress is a positive engagement by the Irish and British governments on issues which are their direct responsibility. The governments cannot with credibility deplore the lack of progress in the process unless they act to fulfil their obligations.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say