Blair warns N Ireland parties on power sharing

LONDON, Jan 4 (Reuters) British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Northern Ireland's feuding political parties today that failure to resolve a row over policing could wreck plans to restore Protestant-Catholic power sharing in the province.

Blair, who cut short a holiday in the United States to intervene in the latest stand-off between nationalist Sinn Fein and its pro-British opponent, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), said both sides must honour their commitments.

Sinn Fein must support policing and the rule of law in the British-ruled province and the DUP must reciprocate by agreeing to share power after an election planned for March 7, he said.

''It is only on this basis and with this clarity that we can proceed to an election,'' he said in a statement.

Blair flew home after failing to resolve the dispute over policing in a series of telephone calls with party leaders. It is one of the last obstacles to the planned restoration in March of a Belfast-based, power-sharing assembly suspended since 2002.

Sinn Fein, the province's largest nationalist party, has long viewed the law and order system as biased in favour of Protestants, and accepting it would be a huge shift.

The DUP refuses to join a ruling executive with Sinn Fein or commit to a timetable for devolving justice powers from London until it has seen proof the party fully backs the rule of law.

The latest rift came after Sinn Fein, whose largely Catholic following wants a united Ireland, indicated yesterday that a key party meeting to debate policing this month was in jeopardy because the DUP had not responded positively to the plans.

''We want our special Ard Fheis (meeting) to go ahead,'' Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said. ''But this cannot be a one way street. The DUP also have commitments and responsibilities.'' Adams said in a statement that calling the meeting had been a ''hugely significant step'' but hardline DUP leader Ian Paisley showed no sign of softening his stance today.

''If we are to see further political developments then it must be in the context of full and final delivery from Republicans,'' he said. ''On this there will be no weakening.'' London and Dublin have warned this could be the last chance for a long time to reach a political settlement in the province.

Blair has invested much political capital in resolving Northern Ireland's problems and is keen that when he leaves office this year the outlook there should be positive.

Despite its persistent political problems, Northern Ireland has been largely peaceful since a 1998 peace deal to end 30 years of conflict in which 3,600 people died.

REUTERS PB RN2254