MR GERRY Adams yesterday attacked the "scapegoating" of Sinn Fein in connection with the Manchester bombing and said that the party would not be deflected from its peace strategy.
Mr Adams repeatedly stressed that "the IRA is not Sinn Fein, and we are not the IRA", while he also noted that no one had admitted responsibility for the explosion.
The Sinn Fein president expressed shock and regret at what had happened in Manchester but he said: "We were not responsible for the bomb explosion."
"In fact, our peace strategy, which in different times has been he engine which has driven the peace process, remains central to fur party policy and remains my main focus. And I believe that Mr Major knows this and understands clearly what Sinn Fein is trying to do."
He said that at the same time he did not underestimate the difficulties "which all of this presents to all of the parties, including ourselves
He understood in many ways the difficulty which the Government had at this time.
"But let me point out that the old agenda of excluding Sinn Fein, or indeed of excluding any other party, did not work in the past," he added.
"It is folly to be involved in the exclusion of any section of people here, and especially when the Sinn Fein section have been trying, and remain focused and will not be deflected from the challenges and responsibilities which we face."
What had worked in the last 2 years was the attempt to bring about inclusive dialogue on the basis of equality, and the attempt to bring about a peace settlement. That was his main function and that was his focus and he would not be deflected from that.
The central thrust of some of the media and political reaction was the scapegoating of Sinn Fein, he asserted.
However, Sinn Fein had a peace strategy "and I will not allow our contribution to be either undervalued or discarded".
Mr Adams said: "We have, I think, taken risks for peace. We will continue to take risks for peace. That is a collective responsibility, not least for the British government and for all political leaders.
"We still have a long way to go. It would be far better if the peace process was over and we had a peace settlement and a new democracy. We haven't; we have still a long and dangerous path to tread."
Mr Adams was speaking to reporters in west Belfast. When he was pressed about the relationship between the IRA and Sinn Fein, he merely repeated: "I have told you - we are not the IRA and the IRA is not Sinn Fein".
The Sinn Fein president repeatedly refused to speculate about the IRA or what message it was sending with attacks such as the Manchester bombing.
"Let those responsible for the bomb attack explain what happened and the reasoning behind it," he said.
"From my point of view the focus in the first instance has to be on the need for a calm and measured approach.
"This is a time for cool heads, a time for keeping our nerve and it is a time for the two governments to deal with this in the reality of where they want to go.
The Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, said yesterday that those who voted for Sinn Fein in the recent election had not voted for random attacks on shopping centres and on innocent people.
Sinn Fein now had to satisfy those voters that it was not going to betray those votes again. Sinn Fein would themselves have to find the language to do that, he said.