NI power-sharing is 'inevitable'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6422899.stm

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Former US Senator George Mitchell has said he believes a power-sharing deal in Northern Ireland is inevitable following the assembly elections.

In an interview with RTE news, Mr Mitchell said he believed the people of Northern Ireland wanted it to happen.

However, he confessed he did not think it would take this long to come to the point where a deal would be possible.

He said all parties had "come a long way" and Sinn Fein's decision to join the Policing Board was "significant".

His comments come ahead of a planned election to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 7 March.

Mr Mitchell, who chaired the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement, also said the US still had a "huge role to play" in stimulating investment and trade in Northern Ireland.

He added that Northern Ireland "still had a large part of his heart and emotions".