Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    World
    Home / World / Europe

    British, Irish PMs visit Northern Ireland in bid to end political crisis

    Updated: 2018-02-13 00:27
    Share
    Share - WeChat

    BELFAST - British Prime Minister Theresa May and Irish leader Leo Varadkar began talks with political parties in Northern Ireland on Monday to urge them to restore devolved government and avoid the introduction of direct rule from London.

    The British province has been without a devolved executive for over a year since Irish nationalists Sinn Fein withdrew from a power-sharing government with their arch-rivals, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

    The two sides said on Friday progress had been made and a breakthrough was possible this week.

    May and Varadkar met near Northern Ireland's Stormont parliament on Monday, ahead of their individual meetings with the parties, Britain's Northern Ireland Office said.

    A failure to form a government would probably result in the introduction of direct rule from London for the first time in a decade and reignite a diplomatic dispute over what role the Irish government should have in the region.

    It could also further destabilise the delicate balance between Irish nationalists and unionists who, until last year, had run the province since 2007 under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday peace accord which ended three decades of violence.

    The meetings come as Britain bids to secure a breakthrough in talks with the European Union on the terms of its exit from the bloc, which could have dramatic implications for Northern Ireland.

    The future trading relationship will help determine whether physical infrastructure will be required to control the border between the region and the Republic of Ireland, which will become an EU frontier.

    EU negotiator Michel Barnier last week warned that if Britain proceeded with plans to leave the EU's single market and customs union, border checks would be unavoidable.

    Varadkar on Sunday called for "clarity and urgency" from London in laying out exactly what kind of a post-Brexit deal it wants.

    May, who is hoping to seal a transition deal with the EU next month to smooth Britain's exit, on Sunday said she would set out what it wants from Brexit in a series of speeches over the next few weeks.

    The DUP and Sinn Fein have failed to reach agreement on a number of contentious issues, including the introduction of same-sex marriage, which is illegal in Northern Ireland but legal in the rest of Britain and Ireland.

    Rights for Irish-language speakers and funding for inquests into deaths during the decades of Protestant-Catholic sectarian violence before 1998 have also proved contentious.

    Reuters

    Most Viewed in 24 Hours
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    一区二区三区在线观看中文字幕| 最近免费中文字幕MV在线视频3| 亚洲高清中文字幕免费| 最新高清无码专区| 中文一国产一无码一日韩| 人妻少妇乱子伦无码视频专区| 天堂√最新版中文在线天堂| 人妻少妇精品无码专区二区| 日本无码小泬粉嫩精品图| 人妻丰满av无码中文字幕| AAA级久久久精品无码片| 人妻少妇伦在线无码专区视频| 精品亚洲AV无码一区二区三区| 中文字幕免费高清视频| 中文字幕av无码专区第一页| 亚洲不卡无码av中文字幕| 四虎成人精品无码| 无码人妻精品中文字幕免费| 久久无码高潮喷水| 精品无码一区二区三区在线| 日本三级在线中文字幕在线|中文| 亚洲无码黄色网址| 亚洲 欧美 国产 日韩 中文字幕| 蜜臀av无码人妻精品| 国产精品无码v在线观看| 久久久久久久久无码精品亚洲日韩 | 草草久久久无码国产专区| 日韩精品少妇无码受不了| 亚洲AV无码一区二区三区系列| 伊人久久综合无码成人网| 在人线AV无码免费高潮喷水| 中文无码成人免费视频在线观看| 亚洲欧美精品一区久久中文字幕| 日日摸夜夜添无码AVA片| 无码人妻久久一区二区三区蜜桃| 麻豆AV无码精品一区二区| 免费无码国产欧美久久18| 亚洲av永久无码精品漫画 | 无码精品蜜桃一区二区三区WW| 中文字幕人妻中文AV不卡专区 | 无码人妻少妇久久中文字幕|