City is 'model' for Stormont

As crunch talks involving the DUP, Sinn Fin and both the British and Irish Prime Ministers continued in order to avoid the crash of the Northern Ireland Executive, Mr Robinson said he looked to the voluntary arrangements between all of the loyal orders, the nationalist community and the business sector reached in this city some years ago.

The DUP and Sinn Fin had been at loggerheads for months on the localisation of policing and justice powers. Republicans have said they want the completion of devolution to happen immediately but the DUP maintained there must be "community confidence" before powers were placed in the hands of local representatives. And, the "confidence" measure causing most consternation was the handling of marches.

The DUP has been seeking to scrap the Parades Commission, the organisation that governs parading and imposes restriction on some of what are considered to be the most contentious loyal order demonstrations. Sinn Fin accused the DUP of giving the Orange Order a veto but yesterday Mr Robinson said the deals done in Londonderry showed what could be achieved across Northern Ireland.

Londonderry was for decades a flashpoint for violence during the marching season.

Millions of pounds of damage were caused to buildings and businesses in Londonderry during some fierce rioting. However in the late 1990s engagement between politicians, community representatives, loyal order leaders and business figures overcame the disputes and turned the parades issue in Londonderry around and largely away from violence. While small outbreaks of violence have happened in the last decade, in comparison to the mid 1990s they could be regarded as minor skirmishes and agreements are reached every year.

Yesterday, Peter Robinson said that whilst the parades issue was a "toxic" one, he pointed to the Londonderry model, where the Apprentice Boys also have a Maiden City Festival and encourage non-confrontation.

Alderman William Hay was intrinsically involved in the negotiations between the various groupings in Londonderry isince the late 1990s.

Mr Hay told the Sentinel that the model produced in Londonderry - with talks held under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce - is one which holds up to this day.

"We had our difficulties, but the template or the model we produced worked for everybody. We all took risks in delivering it, but there was a determination from everyone involved to resolve the parades dispute.

"I would hold up that model we created as a very genuine one that recognised everybody. But at the end of the day, it can be summed up by the phrase 'it's good to talk.'"