Haass proposals: Government may intervene says Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore said the contentious issues could not be allowed to drift Ireland's foreign minister has said, if necessary, there will be joint intervention by the Irish and British governments to get the parties to agree a way forward on the Haass proposals.
The Haass talks focussed on the issues of flags, parades and the past.
Eamon Gilmore told the Sunday Politics programme there had to be progress on the issues.
"The two governments are determined that we should not allow these issues to drift," Mr Gilmore said.
"I don't think there is a very long period of time within which this can continue on. There is an urgency about getting these issues resolved.
"I think if there is an intervention, I think it will be an intervention by both governments together.
"We are agreed that this is something that both governments will work together on.
"If necessary we will have to do that, but I hope that it will be possible that the political parties in Northern Ireland will be able to reach agreement among themselves.
"I think that that's appropriate, because these are issues that have to be resolved in Northern Ireland."
The talks, chaired by US diplomat Dr Richard Haass and Harvard Prof Meghan O'Sullivan, broke up without a deal on New Year's Eve.
Sinn Féin and the SDLP endorsed the proposals, but the DUP, UUP and Alliance have, so far, rejected elements of the Haass blueprint.
Meghan O'Sullivan and Richard Haass chaired a series of round-table talks Tuesday saw the first meeting of Northern Ireland's five main parties since the end of the negotiations.
Afterwards, Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness accused unionists of "dancing to the tune of extremists" in not agreeing to the proposals.
In response, DUP leader Peter Robinson accused Mr McGuinness of talking like he was "a dictator".
More of the Eamon Gilmore interview can be seen on Sunday Politics on BBC 1 at 11:35 GMT.
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