Brown and Cowen unveil deal on Ulster

THE British and Irish premiers were today set to formally announce details in Northern Ireland of the deal to save the region's power-sharing government.

Nearly two weeks of round-the-clock negotiations ended in success late last night when Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) members of the Stormont Assembly agreed to back the deal brokered with Sinn Fein.

The settlement will see the devolution of policing and justice powers from Westminster to the Assembly within weeks, satisfying a key republican goal, while new arrangements for overseeing loyal order parades will meet the demands of unionists.

The talks are the longest set of continuous negotiations held in the near 20-year peace process.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and taoiseach Brian Cowen were set to return to Hillsborough Castle today to meet all of Northern Ireland's main political parties before unveiling the terms of the accord.