Side deals blocking progress - Ford

12.00.00pm GMT Thu 4th Jan 2007

Alliance Leader David Ford has stated that the current problems over the policing issue illustrate the real need for an inclusive process to ensure that progress can be made in securing genuine power-sharing.

David Ford said: "The problem over policing illustrates the total failure of the government's approach in recent years. While the Good Friday Agreement was reached in inclusive discussions, for the last four years the government has been solely interested in side deals with the two largest parties.

"Nobody else knows the detail of what is going on, so we can have no confidence that even the DUP and Sinn Féin have any shared understanding of the government's proposals.

"After last night's debacle does anybody seriously believe that Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness could lead a genuine power sharing government twelve weeks from today?"