THE Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, the British Prime Minister, Mr Major, have had a 20 minute telephone conversation as part of the campaign to pave the way for all party talks on June 10th.
A Government spokesman in Dublin said last night's discussions, the second between the two leaders in a week, "made progress on all the main issues" and proved "very useful and constructive" in preparing the ground for next month's negotiations. He said the contacts "between the Taoiseach's Office and Downing Street" would continue.
Sources would not speculate on whether the Taoiseach urged the Prime Minister to deliver the kind of assurances Sinn Fein is demanding on the quality of all party negotiations, decommissioning and an agreed time frame.
It is thought that such a statement from Mr Major would assist in the reinstatement of an IRA ceasefire but Government sources are insisting it is up to London to decide how to handle its own approach.
Meanwhile, the chances of the IRA restoring the ceasefire before all party talks on June 10th are only "slight" according to senior republican sources. Despite growing speculation in some political and media circles that the IRA might soon reinstate its August 1994 "cessation", republican sources warned against false optimism.
"The IRA is open to looking at any proposals which might lead to a restoration of its ceasefire but it will not give the British government the benefit of the doubt on this occasion. It must be tied down. If the IRA believes that the prevarication that happened before will happen again, there will be no ceasefire, one senior source added.
There is also strong "suspicion" in the IRA that the negotiations will ultimately lead to an internal settlement, a feeling that could scupper hopes of a restoration of its ceasefire. "An internal solution, dressed up with a few cosmetics such as co operation between the two tourist boards, will not suffice", the source added.
The leader of the Progressive Democrats, Ms Mary Harney, said it was "vital" that the IRAN ceasefire be renewed ahead of elections. "If Sinn Fein is looking for meaningful negotiations, it should use its influence to secure a reinstatement of the IRA ceasefire. In the absence of a ceasefire, the mandate which Sinn Fein itself secures in the forthcoming elections will be, at best, ambivalent", she added.
Criticising some unionist politicians for suggesting that the date for all party talks could be put back if they did not receive guarantees on decommissioning, Ms Harney said the last thing needed was to become bogged down on this issue. The ground rules for negotiations already provided adequate safeguards about the way decommissioning would be dealt with, she said.
Patrick Smyth in Brussels writes:
Comments yesterday by the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, suggesting that the North's talks would be meaningful and have no predetermined outcome, were described as "significant", by the Tanaiste and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Spring.
He said he felt the process was moving, but "slowly". "What is important is that people should keep an eye on the big game", he said, warning of the dangers of being deflected by minor issues.
He welcomed the conciliatory tone of Sir Patrick's remarks. "People are aware of the prize to be won in all party talks and the need to overcome impasses on the way. Hopefully, with a reinstatement of the ceasefire, the prize would be all the bigger."