Richard Haass to meet five main NI parties 20 September 2013 Last updated at 06:14 Stormont's five main executive parties will take part in round-table talks with US diplomat Richard Haass later. The discussions are aimed at trying to find a resolution on parades, flags and dealing with Northern Ireland's past. It is the first time since he arrived in Belfast that Dr Haass will meet all the executive parties together. Dr Haass and his team have spent this week meeting politicians, community groups and business leaders and hopes to have an agreed document by December. The Ulster Unionists have said that they hope the talks will produce agreement before the end of the year, sentiments shared by Sinn Féin. However, earlier in the week DUP leader Peter Robinson said he did not expect that all the issues would be cut and dried by Christmas. The Alliance Party and the SDLP said that if a consensus could not be reached by the December deadline, Dr Haass should present his own plan. Dr Haass will speak to the media later and he is expected to give an assessment of how this week's discussions have gone and how they will develop in the weeks ahead.