THE SDLP and Sinn Fein, in quick succession yesterday, announced that they are to contest the forthcoming elections in Northern Ireland. The SDLP, in addition, gave a heavily qualified indication that it might participate in the forum.
All the North's main parties, have now confirmed that they will enter the elections, some extremely reluctantly and some still bitterly contesting procedural details of the ballot.
The Democratic Unionist Party is seeking legal advice on the possibility of a High Court challenge to the election legislation because of a reported decision that party leaders names will not appear on the ballot paper.
As the list of parties entitled to participate includes several with titles closely approximating to the DUP, that party believes that public confusion could lose it many votes unless the name of its leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, appears alongside the party title on the ballot paper.
Meanwhile, Mr Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein yesterday warned that more cast iron guarantees and assurances were deeded from the two governments that the all party talks due to start on June 10th would constitute "real and meaningful negotiations".
He expressed the opinion that there was no prospect whatsoever of a restoration of the IRA ceasefire unless such assurances were forthcoming.
The first of yesterday's multiple developments was the announcement in London by the SDLP chief whip, Mr Eddie McGrady, that his party would contest all 18 constituencies in the elections on May 30th.
He said, however, that SDLP attendance at the planned 110 member elected forum would be conditional on the British government sticking to the guidelines in the electoral legislation which tightly circumscribe the forum's role.
"On the basis of the Bill, on the basis of the commitments written in, we will participate in the elections . . . and we will then assess the forum's procedural recommendations as and when they arise," he said.
"But where it [the forum] is assisting in the negotiating process and assisting to create the right environment and to create a consensus approach, then we will give it fair wind."
He asserted that the forum had been "properly circumscribed" by the terms of the legislation and by the statements written into the parliamentary record by the British government. To the extent that the forum would help progress in the negotiations, his party would give it support.
Mr McGrady reportedly telephoned the BBC later in the day to elaborate on his comments. He told them that no definite decision had been made by the SDLP to participate in the forum.
In between these developments, the SDLP chairman Mr Jonathan Stephenson, issued a statement in Belfast which said that his party would consider the question of the forum depending on the circumstances at the time".
He added that they would judge at the time whether it was helpful, unhelpful or simply not relevant to their main concern, which was reaching agreement at the all party talks.
The policy distance between the SDLP and Sinn Fein appeared to widen when the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, "called a press conference at short notice in west Belfast during the afternoon and accused the SDLP of making an apparent U turn on its previous position.
He said that Sinn Fein had been trying to achieve a common position with the SDLP (last week he urged a joint boycott of the elections), but that he was not surprised at, the SDLP decision.
Announcing that Sinn Fein would also contest the elections Mr Adams said that the party - wanted to try to give leadership at this very crucial time.
"We want to seek a re endorsement of our peace strategy," he said. "We want to restate the legitimacy of our republican objectives. We want to ensure that the very legitimate demand for an end to British rule, for the release of prisoners, and for equality, are all placed on the agenda."
Interpreting Mr McGrady's morning comments as an announcement that the SDLP would participate in the forum,
Mr Adams called on him to explain and defend his change of position since last week "when he said the forum should be scrapped".
Sinn Fein would not attend the forum, Mr Adams declared: "Sinn Fein will play no part in supporting anything which allows even the possibility of an internal settlement, or which in any way leads to a return to unionist domination."
Mr Adams said that the issue of restoring the ceasefire was a matter for the IRA. However, if the British government accepted the "democratic imperative" implicit in the forthcoming elections, Sinn Fein could not be excluded from the all party negotiations if the party achieved an electoral mandate.
Clearly, there would not be a peace settlement if those charged with the stewardship of the process excluded any party from it. It had to be inclusive.
The Sinn Fein president pointed out, however, that the June 10th deadline for the start of talks was about 30 days away, adding: "And 30 days are a long time in politics."