Irish prime minister confident Northern Ireland deal within reach

FILE PHOTO: Ireland's Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar speaks to media at a European Union leaders' summit, in Brussels, Belgium December 14, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar expressed confidence on Wednesday that Northern Ireland's power-sharing government would be restored in the new year and that reforms on its operation could be up for discussion after that.

Northern Ireland has been without a government for almost two years after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) walked out in protest over Britain's attempts to settle post-Brexit trade rules for the region, which shares a land border with EU member Ireland.