Talks Fail to Break Deadlock in Northern Ireland, Blair Says

Two days of diplomacy failed to crack the deadlock threatening the survival of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday.

However, he said that some progress had been made and that he was satisfied the parties were committed to working to resolve differences on disarming paramilitary groups and reforming the police force.

The lack of progress raised fears that Britain might have to suspend the local administration’s powers for the second time in a year, to forestall the provincial government’s collapse from a Protestant walkout.

The compromise plan being discussed required the outlawed Irish Republican Army to begin disarming. In return, Britain would launch a new phase of military cutbacks and Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble, Northern Ireland’s senior political figure, would resume full cooperation with Cabinet colleagues from the IRA-linked Sinn Fein party.