Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 July 2018
48. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken to or met with the leaders of Sinn Féin, Ms Michelle O'Neill and Deputy Mary Lou McDonald, since they met with Prime Minister May; the persons who attended the meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28659/18]
View answerI am in very regular contact with the leaders of Sinn Féin and of all of the political parties in Northern Ireland, in fulfilment of the Government’s role as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, as we work with the British Government to seek a way beyond the current impasse on the operation of the devolved institutions of the Agreement.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and I have each conducted contacts with the Northern Ireland political parties to hear their views on how, at this stage, the two Governments can support the political process, in accordance with the Agreement.
All parties re-affirmed their commitment to operating the devolved institutions and provided views on their key concerns and issues to be addressed in seeking a way forward.
In light of this, the Secretary of State and I are considering how best the two Governments, as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, can chart a way forward that will give the best prospects for getting the devolved institutions operating again without delay.
A meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference will take place on 25 July. The Government looks forward to this meeting of the Conference in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement. Both Governments as co-guarantors of the Agreement are fully committed to working together to achieve the earliest operation of the devolved institutions, and to working together for the mutual benefit of all of the peoples of these islands.
The Good Friday Agreement is the indispensable framework for providing stable, inclusive, power-sharing government for all the people of Northern Ireland and for sustaining our interlocking relationships – within Northern Ireland, on the island of Ireland, and between the UK and Ireland.
