Alliance offers to mediate

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Aug 31, 2008 | by LISA O'CONNOR

ALLIANCE leader David Ford today said his party would attend talks over the political deadlock caused by the transfer of policing and justice powers to Stormont.

The DUP is embroiled in a row with Sinn Fein over devolution that now threatens the powersharing government.

Mr Ford, mooted as a possible new security minister if and when policing powers are devolved, said the party would attend talks in the autumn if invited.

"Certainly we are prepared to play a constructive role, we are prepared to engage.

"But I repeat again, we cannot solve the problems between the DUP and Sinn Fein at the level of total political immaturity that they are currently at," he said yesterday.

Unionists say there is insufficient public support for the devolution of justice powers and dismissed a target date of May this year for the transfer.

Sinn Fein has been demanding movement and this week threatened to pull its ministers out of government if progress is not made.