Northern Irish leaders shake hands for first time

BELFAST (Reuters) - Peter Robinson, who has temporarily stood down as Northern Ireland's first minister over a family scandal, has shaken hands with his deputy Martin McGuinness, marking a possible thaw between the former foes.

Robinson, who continues to lead the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party, told the Sunday Times that McGuinness, of Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein, extended his hand on hearing that Robinson's wife tried to kill herself after having an affair.

"He expressed sympathy to me and put out his hand," Robinson said. "I thought it would be wrong for me, in those circumstances, to do anything other than that," Robinson said, adding that the handshake happened in a private meeting.

McGuinness, a former Irish Republican Army (IRA) commander, remains deputy first minister in the power-sharing government led in Robinson's absence by DUP colleague Arlene Foster.

McGuinness developed a surprisingly cordial relationship with Robinson's predecessor, the firebrand unionist leader Ian Paisley, earning the pair the nickname "Chuckle Brothers," but the Sunday Times said they also never shook hands.

The DUP and Sinn Fein have been holding talks over when Belfast should take over responsibility for policing and justice from London, including the appointment of a justice minister in the regional assembly.

A deal would mark one of the biggest steps since a 1998 peace deal mostly ended three decades of violence that killed 3,600 people in Northern Ireland.

Some reports said the two parties would try to reach a deal in the coming days, partly on worries that the approaching British parliamentary elections could invalidate an 800 million pound ($1.3 billion) funding package offered by Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the reforms.

Robinson, who said he would face an inquiry over money his wife raised for her then 19-year-old lover, is still taking a leading role in the talks over policing and justice.

Robinson has found it more difficult than Paisley to find the right tone with McGuinness, with the two clashing in public last month over the devolution of policing matters.

(Writing by Andras Gergely; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)