LONDON (AP) — Talks to restore a government to Northern Ireland ended in failure Wednesday, just two days after the main Catholic and Protestant parties said they were close to resolving a 13-month political impasse.

The two sides traded blame for failing to break a stalemate that has left Northern Ireland's 1.8 million people without a functioning administration for more than a year.

Arlene Foster, leader of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party, said negotiations with Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein to restore the power-sharing government "have been unsuccessful."

"In our view, there i...