Protestants want delay in Northern Ireland power-sharing deal

March 25, 2007

Belfast, Northern Ireland - Monday's deadline for creation of a Catholic-Protestant power sharing government in Northern Ireland will apparently be missed.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved tougher new arms and financial sanctions against Iran for refusing to stop enriching uranium.

The pro-British Democratic Unionist Party is asking for a six-week delay before it joins the pro-Irish Sinn Fein in a new government, according to Democratic Unionist Party officials.

The British government had offered financial incentives for the protestant DUP and the Catholic Sinn Fein to meet the March 26 deadline for a power-sharing executive branch of the government.

DUP officials said they would issue a public statement outlining their reasons for a delay, which include giving them time to make sure conditions are right for acceptance of a power-sharing arrangement.