Brokenshire says parties must adress 'the legacy of the past'

By Richard O'Reilly

Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire says urgent discussions need to take place to ensure devolved government resumes.

With all 90 MLA elected, there is now a limited time period for a powersharing deal to be reached.  The DUP and Sinn Fein have three weeks to come to an agreement.

Both James Brokenshire and Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flannagan have called for the main parties to make the most of the negotiation period.

Mr Brokenshire had previously spoken of the 'shared responsibility' to form a government following the election.  He has now outlined what he describes as the the 'key details'

"Discussions will need to focus on:the establishment of a partnership Executive" said Mr Brokenshire "and other outstanding issues, including the implementation of past agreements and the legacy of the past."

The responsibility for forming a new Executive rests with the two parties eligible to nominate a First Minister and deputy First Minister; the DUP and Sinn Fein.

Parties were unable to agree upon legacy issues last year, and was a prominent feature of Sinn Fein's election campaign.

The Secretary of State went on to say “On the wider point of addressing outstanding issues, all parties eligible to nominate NI Executive Ministers will need to be involved. Discussions will focus on securing implementation on the basis of existing commitments rather than the renegotiation of prior agreements. In particular, there is an urgent need to resolve the implementation of the commitments concerning the legacy of the past in the Stormont House Agreement"