White House: NIreland Peace Talks at Vital Point The White House is urging leaders involved in peace talks over Northern Ireland to compromise because negotiations have failed to produce an agreement. White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden says the multiparty talks have reached a critical juncture. She says the goal is still to finish a deal before the year ends. Hayden says the U.S. is confident a deal can be reached if all sides have the political will to get there. The talks hinge on Catholic opposition to Protestant marches, the right of each side to fly its preferred flags and how to honor those who have died in decades of conflict. Six months of negotiations were supposed to have secured an agreement before Christmas. American envoy Richard Haass has now given the parties until Monday.