N. Ireland parties fail to hit talks deadline

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - A deadline to form a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland has been extended until Monday, after political parties in the U.K. region were unable to strike a deal on Thursday.

Sinn Fein and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) representatives -- the region’s two biggest parties -- did not nominate candidates for the position of first minister and deputy first minister in the local parliament, despite Northern Ireland facing direct rule from London in the absence of a deal.

Irish nationalists and pro-British unionists were unable to find common ground on divisive issues such as an Irish language act and legacy issues inherited from decades of violence popularly known as the Troubles.

If the sides again fail to reach a deal, the British government may introduce direct rule.

The previous local administration collapsed in January with the resignation of its Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness over a botched energy saving deal.

The DUP lost support in a March 2 election but managed to remain the biggest party, with a single-seat margin in the Northern Ireland Assembly over Sinn Fein.

However, the DUP performed strongly in a U.K. general election earlier this month. In an unprecedented political move, it has become a vital source of support for the U.K.’s Conservative prime minister, Theresa May.

A ‘confidence and supply deal’ will see the DUP's 10 lawmakers in Westminster prop up May’s party after it lost its governing majority on June 8.

The DUP’s move has caused concerns in Northern Ireland with Sinn Fein describing it as a breach of the 1998 Belfast Agreement, which largely ended decades of violence in the troubled region.