"

Hilliary Clinton could try to break Ulster deadlock

Hillary Clinton was last night poised to intervene to try and break the deadlock between the main parties in Ulster’s power-sharing executive.

By Andrew Porter, Political Editor  |  Published: 8:00PM GMT 26 Jan 2010

The United States Secretary of State spoke to Gordon Brown on the telephone but could also use a planned visit to Britain to make an unscheduled stop to the province.

Mrs Clinton is coming to London for two international conferences later this week. But Downing Street sources said they “would not be surprised” if she went to Hillsborough ahead of those meetings.

Her intervention would mirror that of her husband, Bill Clinton, when he helped broker the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

The impasse between Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party over policing arrangements is threatening to bring down the devolved government.

Last night talks were still taking place under the chairmanship of Mr Brown and Brian Cowan, his Irish counterpart. If there is no progress Mr Brown could stay in Belfast and possibly miss today’s Prime Minister’s Questions.

A Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed that Mrs Clinton had spoken to the Prime Minister on the telephone yesterday.

The spokeswoman said: “They discussed and took stock of the progress that's been made and the need to make an agreement.”

More . . .

"

===========================

Major kudos to SOS Hillary Clinton.