Brexit: DUP 'not refusing' to attend north-south meetings

It is not the case that the DUP is refusing to attend meetings involving ministers from Belfast and Dublin, First Minister Arlene Foster has said.

On Friday, the DUP was criticised for not taking part in a meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC).

Mrs Foster said on Monday that the agenda had not been agreed with her office and a minister not available.

She also said north-south relationships will be affected by post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.

The NSMC is the main body for cross-border co-operation between the governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The first minister and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader told the assembly that there has been much "misplaced" and "mischievous" commentary that the party is refusing to attend meetings between the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish government.

"It is simply not the case," Mrs Foster said, adding that she had spoken to Taoiseach Michéal Martin over a week ago by telephone.

During a visit to Stormont to meet political parties on Monday, Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said you cannot "cherry pick" the Good Friday Agreement.

"The north-south piece is absolutely essential and that means that unionists of all hues have to participate in those meetings," Ms McDonald said.

The DUP is insisting that there's nothing to see here, that it will be taking part in these north-south meetings and that it has had some difficulty getting its people in place for the previous two meetings.

The SDLP, Sinn Féin and Alliance suspect that there is some sort of boycott in the making and they are very much going to judge the DUP on its actions and not words.

We will be much clearer, I anticipate, come Wednesday evening as there is a north-south ministerial meeting due to take place involving Economy Minister Diane Dodds and Finance Minister Conor Murphy.

So, if that goes ahead, then all of this will quickly blow over.

But if that doesn't go ahead for whatever reason, then the calls and the noise around DUP boycotts will get ever louder.

"It would obviously be hugely problematic if there was any suggestion that any strand of unionism was stepping back from that or causing a problem with the north-south mechanisms."

Ms McDonald said she expects political unionism to fulfil its responsibilities.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said it is important that the DUP speaks to the parties "like adults". He said there were ways of resolving issues around the post-Brexit Irish sea border.

"The only way those things get done is sitting down like adults, like leaders, and work through them," he said.

Last week, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon claimed the NSMC meeting, involving Irish Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, had been "blocked from proceeding because no accompanying unionist minister would make themselves available".

Alliance Party leader and Justice Minister Naomi Long tweeted that it was "the second NSMC meeting in as many weeks to be obstructed in this way" and described it as "simply unacceptable".

The first minister said on Monday that the Northern Ireland Protocol was not part of the NSMC.

But she added: "North-south relationships will of course be affected by the fact that the protocol is in place because it has damaged east-west relationships and we need to sort it out, we need to get rid of the protocol so we can continue to have a relationship with our nearest neighbour in the appropriate way in the future."

Speaking on Friday, Mrs Foster said it was not possible to attend Friday's meeting as there "wasn't anyone available".

She said the party was "looking at alternative dates and we'll get a date in the near future".

Mrs Foster denied it was DUP policy to boycott NSMC meetings.

On Monday, Mrs Foster said she had spoken to businesses affected by the Northern Ireland Protocol on Friday, and she was "alarmed" at the extra cost that they face.

She said the amount of damage caused to Northern Ireland business was "incalculable".