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Sinn Féin to meet Varadkar and May amid Stormont deadlock

Mary Lou McDonald says her party will meet with the Irish and British governments next week
Mary Lou McDonald says her party will meet with the Irish and British governments next week

Sinn Féin is to hold separate meetings with the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister next week, following the collapse of talks to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

Talks broke down on Wednesday after the leader of the DUP said that there was currently no prospect of a return to devolved government.

Speaking before a meeting of the party's Ard Comhairle today, Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald said the party still believes a restoration of the devolved institutions at Stormont is the best option.

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However failing that, her party is calling on the British and Irish governments to convene the Intergovernmental Conference.

Ms McDonald said the party will be meeting Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the Tánaiste Simon Coveney on Monday, and will also be meeting British Prime Minister Theresa May next week. 

Ms McDonald said her party's message will be that standing still is not an option and they want the Intergovernmental Conference as a "minimum step".  

On the issue of the Irish language Act in the North, she said Sinn Féin will not be accepting anything less than what was contained in the draft agreement, or accommodation, which was made with the DUP last week. 

She said the Irish language measures will not threaten anyone and republicans will seek to reassure those in the Unionist community who have concerns. 

Ms McDonald also appealed to the DUP to come back to the table to try to reach an agreement.   

It comes as the DUP leader Arlene Foster has called on the British government to set a budget and start making policy decisions for Northern Ireland. 

However, Sinn Féin has insisted direct rule from Westminster is not an option. 

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill was also in Dublin for today’s meeting.

She said: "In any negotiation there has to be give and take. There were a number of issues which vexed the DUP and there were a number of issues which vexed ourselves. 

"We had on the table a draft agreement, an accommodation whatever, way you want to describe it, we are crystal clear, what we had was a way forward and the DUP leadership failed to back that way forward," said Ms O'Neill.