It is now three and a half months since Northern Ireland's executive has met. In a measure of worsening relations, Gerry Adams has told an American audience that there are elements in the DUP who are bigots and don't "want a Catholic about the place".

Adams said, "Some DUP representatives want to run the institutions in the same way unionism used to run the North - in their interests solely, even though the leadership knows this is not sustainable.

It knows this is not acceptable and that Sinn Fein will not allow any return to unionist majority rule.

In addition, there are clearly elements of the DUP who remain bigots, who really don't want to have a Catholic about the place. They are opposed to power-sharing in any form."

Adams is on a four-day tour of the US. He said Sinn Fein was giving the DUP time to adjust and was prepared to work through the current difficulties.