Martin McGuinness says timeframe for Stormont deal is 'days, not weeks'

The timeframe for a deal in Stormont's inter-party talks is "days, not weeks", the deputy first minister has said.

Martin McGuinness said the talks process was "intensifying".

The five biggest parties have been in negotiations for almost six weeks about the budget, welfare reform as well as past and present paramilitary activity.

DUP minister Arlene Foster said: "We always said we hoped these talks would come to a head by the end of this month and that is still our position."

Asked if she thought a deal was possible, she said: "We are still optimistic but there are gaps that need to be closed, and we will work very hard to make sure that we close those gaps quickly."

Mr McGuinness, of Sinn Féin, said he believed a deal was "achievable".

He claimed there had been an attempt to "sabotage" the talks in the last few weeks.

The story of Stormont's crisis

• Stormont's political upheaval was sparked by allegations that Provisional IRA members were involved in the murder of Kevin McGuigan Sr

• The row erupted after a senior Sinn Féin member was arrested as part of the inquiry into Mr McGuigan Sr's death. He was later released without charge

• Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson stepped aside after the arrest and all but one of his DUP ministers operated a policy of rolling resignations

• An independent assessment of paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland found the Provisional IRA's 'army council' still exists, but has a "wholly political focus"

• The first minister and his DUP colleagues resumed their posts as talks continue

• Read more: How Stormont's crisis unfolded

The deputy first minister added that "the difficulty about recent times is that some parties can't get out the door quick enough to say something which negatively feeds into what we're trying to do".

Mr McGuinness said his own party had not done this, and he did not think the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) had done so either.

But he added: "I do think other parties have done that and it is not conducive to getting a good outcome."