ARLENE Foster has said she believes devolution will be restored despite several rounds of talks ending without agreement.
A budget for Northern Ireland had to be brought forward through Westminster this week, adding to the sense of uncertainty around the future of Stormont.
Speaking to the The House political magazine, the DUP leader said: "Do I think there will be devolution back? Yes I do.
"But it involves people compromising and bringing their own people to a place where they feel comfortable, and that sometimes takes a little longer."
In the months since Stormont's collapse, the DUP agreed a deal whereby the party's 10 MPs will support British prime minister Theresa May's minority Conservative government on key votes.
Mrs Foster said she would be concerned about the impact of a Labour government on the peace process and criticised the party's leader Jeremy Corbyn.
"He would be very clearly partisan towards republicanism. It would be disastrous for Northern Ireland because of his previous utterances in relation to Northern Ireland, and his support for the IRA at a time when nobody else was supporting the IRA," she said.
The former first minister urged Mrs May to "focus on the big issues of the day".
"That is why we got into this confidence-and-supply arrangement – to focus on our exit from the EU, to do that in a positive way, and to bring stability to the nation.
"It's so important that she focuses on the big issues and doesn't get thrown off. I know that's very difficult when there is so much noise going on, but that's exactly what she must do."
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams also said last night that a deal can still be reached to restore power-sharing.
He said "some progress" was made in the talks, but there had been no point in continuing "ongoing verbal table tennis" with the DUP.
Speaking after a meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, he called for him to seek a formal meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference to "secure rights and the implementation of previous agreements".
“The DUP cannot be given a veto on rights and previous agreements," he said.
“If we are to re-establish the executive, the role of the Irish government will be decisive.
“Sinn Féin will also be meeting the British Prime Minister Theresa May
on these issues next week.”
Alliance leader Naomi Long said yesterday that the two governments need to announce the next stage of the talks process, warning that "it cannot be allowed to drift any further".
"Without that, we are going to see more paralysis and further crumbling of our public services," she said.
