06/03/2018

Claims Nigel Dodds Attended Meeting Over Draft Stormont Agreement Denied

DUP Leader Arlene Foster has denied claims that her colleague Nigel Dodds attended a meeting when a draft agreement was passed between her and Sinn Féin leader Michelle O'Neill.

Mrs O'Neill previously claimed that Mrs Foster had reached a draft agreement days before the talks at Stormont collapsed.

However, Mrs Foster said there was "never any agreement reached".

She said: "Papers were exchanged but a paper on the Irish Language had no more standing than a paper on SF Ministers implementing the Military Covenant.

"On the final Friday of the talks, I released a statement saying there was more work to do. The selectively leaked papers show there were square brackets showing no agreement.  Commentators even concluded there was no agreement. Regardless of spin or document titles, the evidence points to there being no agreement.

"With little to no prospect of devolution being restored soon, I am focused on getting decisions made for everyone in Northern Ireland through Westminster."

(CD/JP)

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