THE Taoiseach has strongly criticised Sinn Fein, accusing it of being "anti national" and outside the "democratic consensus" about Northern Ireland.
Responding to earlier remarks by Mr Gerry Adams, Mr Bruton challenged Sinn Fein to explain what it expects from the all party talks beginning on June 10th. He said the Sinn Fein president should "stop recriminating about the past" and remember the Government's positive role in promoting the talks process.
In his Easter commemoration address in Derry yesterday, Mr Adams had criticised both the Irish and British governments. But he had also criticised Mr Bruton personally, saying he had not so far provided "the leadership which the Irish nation requires of a Taoiseach".
The elections proposed for the North were essentially a unionist proposal, Mr Adams said, and the Government had "permitted the British government to promise a unionist agenda."
Mr Bruton said: "Mr Gerry Adams calls for an Irish democratic consensus, but he seems unable to see that there is already a consensus among Irish democrats on two vital points; the IRA should call off violence forever, and there should be a majority in both North and South for any settlement.
"It is Sinn Fein and the IRA, and no one else, that are standing outside the Irish democratic consensus on these two fundamental points. Every other party on this island, except Sinn Fein, is agreed on those two matters," Mr Bruton's statement, issued last night, continued.
Sinn Fein should "stop incessantly promoting the anti national concept that a nationalist is obliged to ignore unionist views on every topic, and listen only to Sinn Fein," Mr Bruton said. Mr Adams was "stuck in a groove with his repetitive criticism of the Irish Government.
"He should remember that this Irish Government is the one which negotiated the Framework Document, overcame the decommissioning precondition, and got a fixed date for all party talks."
He said Mr Adams should "stop recriminating about the past and start spelling out in some detail a realistic outcome he expects to come from the all party talks.
"There has been a notable absence of detail from Sinn Fein, so far, on what they actually expect peace talks to deliver.