Hurricane Ophelia postpones Clinton Stormont talks

Bill Clinton was due to meet the Stormont parties.

Storm Ophelia has forced former US president Bill Clinton to postpone a planned intervention in the Stormont political crisis.

Mr Clinton had been due to meet the parties amid efforts to restore the collapsed executive, PA News reported.

The visit was called off at late notice due to the severe weather warnings. It may still take place on Tuesday.

Northern Ireland has been effectively without a devolved government for nine months.

The Executive collapsed in January over a botched green energy scandal, and the most recent round of formal talks between the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin ended in stalemate in June.

Stormont sources told PA Mr Clinton had planned to meet Northern Ireland's rival parties ahead of an official event in Dublin on Tuesday, when he is to receive an honorary doctorate from Dublin City University.

'Solid progress'

The face-to-face talks were aimed at encouraging former government partners Sinn Féin and the DUP to work through their differences and restart power-sharing.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said on Friday "solid progress" had been made in negotiations with Sinn Féin.

But she warned: "Substantial issues remain to be resolved and much more work will be required if we are to reach agreement."

That reflected the view of Sinn Féin's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill, who said on Thursday that "very real challenges" had to be addressed.

Since his first visit to Northern Ireland in 1995, Bill Clinton has been the most high-profile international champion of the peace process.

During his most recent visit earlier this year for the funeral of Martin McGuinness, he urged party leaders to complete the work of the former IRA commander turned politician, and to restore power sharing.