British minister warns against collapse of Northern Ireland talks
London (dpa) - The British government Friday warned politicians in Northern Ireland that they would be making a "big mistake" if current efforts to revive a power-sharing government in the province were allowed to fail.
If those seeking to derail the peace process got their way, Northern Ireland would miss a historic opportunity, Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said.
He was referring to a timetable agreed late last year for elections to be held for a new Northern Ireland Assembly (parliament) on March 7, followed by the restoration of a regional power-sharing government between Protestants and Catholics by March 26, 2007.
The latest hiccup in the long and troubled peace process is over a clear commitment by Sinn Fein, the main Irish nationalist party led by Gerry Adams, to support policing and the judiciary in Northern Ireland.
The tension follows signs of unrest in Adams' party as dissident republican groups are reported to be organizing their opposition to any backing for police structures.
The leadership was coming up against greater internal opposition over policing than it did over moves to disarm the underground Irish Republican Army (IRA) earlier in the peace process, analysts said Friday.
The British and Irish governments, who have jointly drawn up the timetable, have warned that the regional Stormont parliament in Belfast will be dissolved if these last-ditch peace efforts fail. // © 2006 DPA
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