THE Taoiseach has appealed to the IRA to call another ceasefire and seize the "unrivalled opportunity" that now exists to create a peaceful resolution to the conflict: in Northern Ireland.
Appealing to the IRA and to the Sinn Fein leadership, Mr Bruton said: "In any walk of life timing is important. It is important to see an opportunity when it arises and to seize it. And I believe that we are now at a moment when seizing the opportunity should be the motivating force of all those engaged in the peace process." Mr Bruton was addressing the IMPACT conference in Ennis yesterday.
Departing from his prepared script, he continued: "I believe the timing is now right by any standards for a ceasefire by the IRA. I believe that such a cease fire will provide an opportunity for Sinn Fein to take part in all party talks.
"Whereas previously we didn't have a fixed date for all party talks, and that was a cause of much concern, there is now a fixed date of June 10th. The opportunity that is there on that date must not be lost, because it may not come again.
"In addition to a fixed date, we have ground rules for those talks. First of all, there will be no internal settlement, internal to Northern Ireland. Any settlement that is agreed between the British and Irish governments must be one that is not only internal but involves a North South dimension and also involves Britain and Ireland.
"There is also a firm commitment today in the newspapers, and previously, from the British government, to ensure that the talks leading to such an agreement will be genuinely comprehensive.
"No issue will be excluded and no particular conclusion will be pre ordained. In other words, the negotiators will have absolute freedom.
"There is also a clear statement in the legislation, which is enabling the process to be moved forward to June 10th, to a time frame for the discussions. There are and were concerns about the role an elected forum might play vis a vis the negotiations and that it might interfere in some way that was not productive in the negotiations themselves.
"Assurances have been obtained on that point. The forum will be entirely separate from the negotiations and indeed the negotiations will start on June 10 before the forum even meets, thereby underlining the independence of a negotiating process and all of those participating in it.
"Furthermore, there's a clear statement from the British prime minister, from the United States president and from the Irish Government that the decommissioning issue will not become a block, or a blocking mechanism to the negotiations and will not prevent them from becoming comprehensive."
The Taoiseach continued "Thirdly, the negotiations will take place against a background of an agreement between the Irish and British governments on a framework for future relations between Ireland and Britain, between Northern Ireland and the rest of the island, and within Northern Ireland.
"In the framework document that was agreed in February 1995, there is now something that was never there before a detailed scheme agreed between Irish and British governments in regard to, for example, the way in which North South institutions would work.
"That provides a focus and a fallback for negotiators. It ensures that the negotiations will be serious and it has engaged the British and Irish governments together in an agreement that makes sure negotiations will be serious.
Finally, Mr Bruton said "We have now a loyalist ceasefire, a loyalist ceasefire that has held. That is an asset also that has to be valued and maintained. The loyalist ceasefire provides space for everybody to be involved. If combined with an IRA ceasefire, you will have the whole spectrum of opinion around the same table.
"So, if I may sum up, timing is important. The assets that are there are as follows. We now have a fixed date. We now have ground rules for the talks that guarantee no internal settlement, that guarantee that the talks will be urgent, comprehensive and open to all, that no issue is ruled in or ruled out and that, furthermore, guarantee that, while the forum does valuable work, it will not, dictate or interfere with the negotiations.
"We have thirdly a framework agreed between the Irish and British governments on the overall shape of an ultimate possible agreement, which is there as a guide for negotiators. We have a prime minister, a president and a Government here that are committed to making these talks work now, and we have now a loyalist ceasefire.
"Five assets, five arguments that clearly indicate the logic of having a ceasefire now so that everybody can take the opportunity that exists on June 10th. I understand fully that time for consideration is needed, but it's very important to ensure that we seize the opportunity while it is there.
"Peaceful conditions must also be maintained during that period of consideration so that everyone can reflect in a constructive and forward looking way on the opportunities that are there, rather than relapse into the negativity that has unfortunately marred so much of public discourse about Northern Ireland and the factors surrounding it.
"We now have an unrivalled opportunity and it behoves everybody to seize that opportunity."