Cameron, Kenny Leave Belfast With No Progress in Ulster Talks

MOSCOW, December 12 (Sputnik) — The joint visit of the British PM David Cameron and his Irish colleague Enda Kenny to Northern Ireland ended in a failure as the leaders have both left the stalled Ulster talks without reaching a multi-partisan deal on curbing the sectarian hostilities in the politically unstable region.

Cameron has left the Ulster peace talks today after unexpectedly staying in Belfast for 11 hours straight trying to bring all sides to a settled resolution of the political dispute. His Irish counterpart also participated in the talks, which initially started as consultations within the Panel of Parties in the Northern Ireland last year. The participating parties are divided by religion and their stance toward Northern Ireland's membership in the UK. The Protestant pro-UK Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) are countering the nationalist Catholic Sinn Fein and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). The neutralist non-sectarian Alliance Party is also a participant of the talks.

“We made good progress overnight and today but a deal is not going to be possible today,” Cameron said as reported Bloomberg, with Kenny standing alongside. “If they come to an agreement then that sort of financial firepower can be brought to bear. But of course, if there isn’t an agreement, then that financial firepower isn’t there.”

Having said ‘financial firepower’, Cameron meant his proposed planning of providing 1 bln GBP ($1.6 bln) to Northern Ireland in extra funding, hoping the money injection would ease the tensions.

The multilateral negotiation have been stalling for their ninth week now over several irreconcilable differences as the Protestant majority is feeling deprived of enough political influence in the region. In Belfast, the growing Catholic community provided an electoral victory for the pro-Republican bloc of Sinn Fein and SDLP in 2011. The following year the City Council forbade the display of the UK national banner outside the 15 designated days, to the unionists’ outrage. Recently, the City Coucil prohibited an annual street march of the unionist Orange Order, the pro-UK organization seen by many nationalists as hostile, and their behavior as ‘triumphalist’. This measure further enraged the Protestants.

The Catholics, in turn, claim UK policies in the region favour Protestants economically, as 22% of Catholic households are living below the poverty line, while the figure for Protestants is only 17%, according to the 2013 Northern Ireland Peace Monitoring Report. The difference is not that dramatic, but it is reason enough for the nationalists.

“There was no credible financial package offered to executive ministers to allow us to combat the austerity agenda that this British government has been inflicting on us,” Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister and a member of the nationalist Sinn Fein said as quoted by Bloomberg.

Another issue is the corporate tax. In the UK, including Northern Ireland, the corporate tax rate is 21%, to be decreased by 1% next April. This sharply contrasts with Ireland’s rate of 12.5%, giving the Ulster nationalists another powerful argument. Cameron, within his financial proposal, also said Belfast will be allowed to set the corporate tax level in Northern Ireland as soon as the final peace deal between Catholics and Protestants is reached.

"A deal is possible. The real work needs to be done to make sure the budget of the Northern Executive is sustainable and works, so intensive work needs to be done by the parties on that issue," Cameron said.

The nationalists blasted Cameron as his position does not comply with what they expected. Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein President, criticized the British PM via his Twitter account.

However, while the nationalists are eager to conclude a peace deal soon, the unionists seem less enthusiastic, with Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson of the DUP quoted as saying the parties would be less likely to compromise now as they will be preparing for the British parliamentary elections scheduled in May.

“As far as we are concerned the process continues,” he said. “The absence of the prime minister does not bring that work to an end.”

Robinson also criticized Cameron’s financial proposal for Northern Ireland, saying he “didn't think it was adequate. If he wants to bribe us, to bribe us with our own money comes a bit short of what is required.”

Nevertheless, the talks are set to continue.