NATIONALISTS have called for the British and Irish governments to adopt a more proactive approach to affairs in the north in the aftermath of last week's disorder in loyalist areas.
Sinn Féin Junior Minister Declan Kearney said the two governments needed to re-engage with the political process, while SDLP leader Colum Eastwood MP called for a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) to address the underlying causes of the recent violence.
Church leaders also cited the responsibilities of the London and Dublin governments, alongside the Stormont administration and the EU, in their letter earlier this week.
But yesterday the secretary of state appeared to rebuff the calls, insisting that another meeting of the BIIGC would be held at an "appropriate time".
Dublin Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney is expected to travel to London later today and will hold meetings on Thursday with Secretary of State Brandon Lewis and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
The discussions are expected to centre on the recent disorder and Brexit issues related to the protocol.
Mr Kearney said the continuing political instability in the region required a "coordinated intervention" by both governments that utilised the "substantial good will of the United States and European Union".
The Sinn Féin national chairman blamed the street violence on "inflammatory language from senior unionist politicians and disproportionate influence of unionist extremists".
“The gravity of the current situation should not be underestimated and the wreckers should not be indulged any longer," he said.
“This Tory government is not a bystander – it needs to become properly involved at the highest level jointly with the Irish government."
The South Antrim MLA was critical of what he termed "flying in and out interventions".
Mr Eastwood said the street violence was a "symptom of the coercive control exercised by paramilitary criminal gangs".
“I am calling for a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference to address the deep rooted issues that have been given expression through street violence," the Foyle MP said.
"Policing may be devolved to our assembly but peace isn’t. All parties to the agreement need to apply themselves to this work and to ensuring that we work together in the substantial common interests of all traditions that share our island."
