There is an onus on Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams to engage with the tough compromises needed to get agreement in the Northern talks, according to Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan.
He said there was a clear responsibility on all of the parties in the North to engage fully to ensure that the power-sharing institutions did not collapse.
"When we talk about tough compromises I am talking about Mr Adams. He must accept responsibility, as must the leaders of the other four Northern parties, for making the kind of compromises that will result in a deal," Mr Flanagan told The Irish Times.
He said if there was not an agreement by Christmas the outlook for the Northern institutions was poor, and their collapse would lead to the resumption of direct rule from Westminster.
“The parties have to consider whose interests would best be served by a prolonged period of direct rule, and how that might be regarded by the people of Northern Ireland,” said the Minister.
He added, however, that despite the current difficulties the parties had come a long way over the past nine weeks of intensive talks presided over by himself and the Northern Secretary Theresa Villiers.
“When the talks began neither the DUP or the UUP would enter the room with me. We have come a long way since then with about 90 meetings in various forms in the process being chaired by myself and Theresa Villiers.
“We have produced a document with 100 heads of agreement representing an assessment of what the two governments believe can be the basis of a deal,” said Mr Flanagan.
He said it was encouraging that the parties had remained in talks on Friday afternoon after Taoiseach Enda Kenny and British prime minister David Cameron had left.
The talks will resume on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Mr Flanagan and Ms Villiers.
If there is a realistic prospect of success by next weekend the Taoiseach and prime minister may return to Belfast.
Mr Flanagan was adamant, however, that there was no question of the talks continuing into the new year.
Joint paper
SDLP talks negotiator Alex Attwood has criticised the contents of a joint paper circulated by the Irish and British governments last week.
“The British-Irish heads of agreement is well short on the past, on resources, on parades and on the many elements that could see politics stride forward, not stumble on.
“The past cannot be dealt with by closing inquest doors and unpicking Haass/O’Sullivan. Too much of what some propose is to address the past in too little time with too little resources and too little accountability. Victims will see through any such approach.”
Mr Attwood said the British government and Sinn Féin continued to “duck and dive” on the truth of the past. One used national security to suppress the truth while the other claimed that what the IRA did could not be verified.
