Irish premier: 'happy to contribute' to any financial package supporting return of NI assembly
He said that Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill was correct that it was "beyond time" that the Stormont Assembly and Executive should be revived.
Last updated 19th Nov 2023
Irish premier Leo Varadkar said he would support the return of Northern Ireland's powersharing, including contributing to any potential financial package.
He said that Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill was correct that it was "beyond time" that the Stormont Assembly and Executive should be revived, and it should have happened after the region's elections last summer.
"I'm not putting a deadline on it," he told RTE's The Week In Politics.
"We have the British Irish Council happening in Dublin next week. There'll be a meeting of the (British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference), that'll be led by the Tanaiste (Micheal Martin).
"There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes but one thing I think is really crucial, and all of the parties I talked to in Northern Ireland say this, is that if the executive and assembly are back up and running, we want it to be a success.
"We don't want it to last for six months and then collapse for one reason or another. So, sustainability is going to be important. The programme for government's going to be important.
"The financial package is going to be important, too, and we're happy to contribute to that."