Sinn Féin leader in Northern Ireland and First Minister Designate Michelle O'Neill has said it is time for political parties in Northern Ireland to "get the show on the road", after the DUP agreed a deal which could see the restoration of power-sharing in the coming days.
Ms O’Neill welcomed the move from the DUP and said today is a good day for democracy after the DUP struck a deal with the British government on post-Brexit trade arrangements.
Speaking on RTÉ's Six One, she said it was now time for all the political parties of Northern Ireland to collectively try to work together for good public services.
"Having an Executive restored is always going to be in the best interests of the people here ... there was never anything good to come from Brexit for the island of Ireland," Ms O’Neill said.
"Today’s discussions have shown we have willing partners now across the Executive that hopefully will want to come together and get the show on the road in the next couple of days," she added.
Becoming Northern Ireland’s first Sinn Féin politician to hold the position of First Minister will be a "historic moment in time", according to Ms O’Neill.
"I want to apply that for everything that we do and that means being a First Minister that embraces equality and inclusion, who tries to bring people together.
"There's far more that unites us, in terms of standing up for the people we collectively serve, than divides us," she said.
Earlier, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson hailed the agreement on the movement of some goods into Northern Ireland as he said people are already beginning to see the benefits of the deal.
He was speaking after discussions with other parties at Stormont, following the announcement that power-sharing in Northern Ireland could be restored within days.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said her party is satisfied that the 1998 Good Friday Agreement has not been damaged or undermined by the DUP deal over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
The end of the two-year Stormont impasse was signalled in the early hours of this morning when Mr Donaldson secured the backing of his party executive for government proposals aimed at addressing his party's concerns over Brexit's so-called Irish Sea border.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has said he now believes that "all the conditions are now in place" for Stormont to return.
As the parties were meeting, the UK Government and EU announced an update to the Windsor Framework.
The new decision allows Northern Ireland to better benefit from a free trade agreement secured by the British government covering agri-food foods.
However, a spokeswoman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said this was not part of the agreement struck with the DUP.
She added: "This is separate - this is an update on some separate work we have been working on with the European Commission."
However, Mr Donaldson said the change was one of the key elements in his negotiations with the government.
He said: "I welcome the fact that we are now beginning to see the delivery of what was promised with the announcement today between the UK Government and the EU that there is further legal change that will be of real benefit to businesses in Northern Ireland, that ensures that Northern Ireland benefits fully from UK free trade deals.
"These were key elements in our requirements, in our negotiations with the Government.
"Those who said there will be no legal change, who were predicting things would fall short; I simply asked people to wait and see the outcome.
"Wait and see the evidence and judge for yourself what this deal does, what it delivers, the change that it secures. I believe we are now beginning to see on day one, that delivery coming through."
Read more: Varadkar, Sunak welcome Stormont update in 'good call'
The DUP leader also predicted that the agreement he had secured with the British government would lead to goods which are destined for Northern Ireland through the green lane element of the Windsor Framework, flowing freely from the rest of the UK.
"On checks, on goods, moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and staying within the UK there will no longer by physical checks, identity checks, save where, as is normal in any part of the UK there is a suspicion of smuggling, of criminal activity; that is the same for every part of the United Kingdom," he said.
"On customs paperwork, customs declarations, supplementary declarations, will be gone and therefore we believe this represents a significant change.
"Some people said you're going to take the green lane and paint it red, white and blue and put a flag on it. If someone wants to put a flag on it, whatever.
"As far as we are concerned, the green lane will go and be replaced by the UK internal market system that reflects the reality that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, that goods flowing within the United Kingdom, flow freely.
"That was our core key objective and I believe what we have secured represents real change and everybody will be able to see it for themselves."
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Ms McDonald said Sinn Féin had no concerns over the deal, which she said had been reached after "painstaking" work.
She said: "We also know that Brussels, Dublin, all parties are satisfied that what has been agreed stays between the hedges of Brussels and the European market and also the concerns that the DUP expressed."
The DUP's return to Stormont is dependent on the British government implementing the various legislative assurances and other measures it has offered.
The return of Stormont will also see the Treasury release a £3.3 billion package to support under-pressure public services in Northern Ireland.
The financial package includes money to settle the demands of striking public sector workers in the region this year.
The DUP has been using a veto power to block Stormont's devolved institutions for two years in protest at the post-Brexit arrangements that have created trade barriers between Britain and Northern Ireland.
Speaking at Westminster, Mr Heaton-Harris said he would publish the proposals tomorrow.
Speaking in the early hours of this morning after a meeting of his party's ruling executive, which lasted for almost five hours, Mr Donaldson announced that it was satisfied its concerns were addressed.
"Our goal has been to secure the conditions for a return of devolved government on a sustainable basis and where it can make a real and meaningful improvement in the lives of all the people of this part of the United Kingdom," he told a press conference in the early hours of this morning.
"The officers, Assembly grouping, parliamentary group and the central executive of the Democratic Unionist Party have now been briefed and considered all aspects of our negotiations between the UK government and the DUP.
"I am pleased to report that the party executive has now endorsed the proposals that I have put to them."
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British legislation to implement it could be passed by the House of Commons on Thursday.
Mr Donaldson said his party has secured cross-party support for the deal in the Commons, meaning it should be debated and approved quickly.
"There were many other parties who said it was not possible to secure a change, [that] there wouldn't be a renegotiation of the Protocol. They were wrong. We have proven them wrong.
"Our actions have brought the EU and the UK government back to the negotiating table. And we've negotiated real change, change that will benefit everyone in Northern Ireland," he said.
Additional reporting Vincent Kearney
