Speaking after a meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the leaders of the DUP, Sinn Fein and Alliance parties welcome advances made in talks over the Northern Ireland protocol. "Clearly this is a big moment," Jeffrey Donaldson of the DUP tells journalists. The protocol on post-Brexit trading rules, signed between London and Brussels keeps Northern Ireland in the European single market and customs union and stipulates checks on goods moving from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland. It has proved deeply unpopular with the UK-run province's unionist politicians, causing months of political deadlock. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES