THE Taoiseach last night made an impassioned plea to the IRA to call a second ceasefire, to permit Sinn Fein to join a talks process which had been negotiated by the Government.
Speaking to journalists in the Irish Embassy after the summit, Mr Bruton said: "It's a matter now for the republican movement if they believe in the Irish people's will counting, they should pay heed to the Irish people."
The Taoiseach expressed satisfaction that London and Dublin were now firmly agreed that the question of Sinn Fein's participation in talks was rooted in the ground rules for the talks process agreed between the two governments last April.
Regarding the conditions question of a timetable for Sinn Fein's entry into talks, Mr Bruton said there was "no need for a date" because "the talks are up and running". There was no question of time limits or "quarantine" periods, they were firmly back on the agreed ground rules.
Mr Bruton again insisted that Sinn Fein's entry could be achieved by January. But earlier the British prime minister refused to speculate about a date for the start of inclusive talks.
Asked if he agreed with Mr Bruton's assessment, Mr Major said: "I have never been prepared to put a date on to it because I don't think the question is the passage of a particular time span. The question at issue is the actions of Sinn Fein/IRA. It is not just a question of saying `we are going to have a ceasefire', we need to know on this occasion that it is a genuine ceasefire, so we need to examine that. We need to see not only what they say about the ceasefire, but what they subsequently do."
Mr Major continued: "We are not looking at a particular timeframe, either short or long. I am not seeking undue delay, this is not a delaying process. But I need to be certain that if they have a ceasefire it is genuine, and for that reason we have set out the sort of things that we will look at to make a judgment about whether it is a genuine ceasefire.
"And once that is the case, of course we are better off with an inclusive process. But I can't put a date to it. Sinn Fein/IRA may be able to put a date to it, but that is for them, not for me."
Echoing Mr Bruton's emphasis on the ground rules for the talks, Mr Major said: "We set out the ground rules and I put some flesh on how we will interpret them. That is why I say to you the point isn't just setting an arbitrary date. I understand the fears that some people have that because there is not an arbitrary date that that necessarily implies a very long delay. Well, that would been wrong reading of the situation.
Challenged that the terms on offer would not prove acceptable to the IRA, Mr Major replied: "That is a matter for Sinn Fein/IRA. They must make their own judgments. If they wish to remain pariahs then I suppose they will remain pariahs, but I don't believe they can expect suddenly to return to the talks after having been in a process, after having effectively broken their word during that process. We were told repeatedly during the last ceasefire that the ceasefire was for good, the bomb and the gun had gone forever...
The Taoiseach said: "I would like to say to the republican movement, first of all you have a talks process now in existence, which you can join. You know the terms upon which you can join they are set out in the ground rules for the talks. When you had the previous ceasefire there was no talks process in existence; there is one now which you can join.
"Furthermore, we have independent chairmen ready and willing to include you in the talks, and take the necessary steps to ensure that your position is adequately safeguarded, as will be the position of all other parties. There are detailed procedures agreed in so far as the talks are concerned to ensure that no minority is in any sense badly treated. None of these conditions existed when the first ceasefire was called. These conditions exist now, so why not have a ceasefire?"
Mr Bruton said later: "Anyone who looks at this problem against the sweep of history will have to see that what we have now is something we have not had for 75 years, which is all the people with a table that they can sit around, with governments that are willing to work with them to find a solution, with governments that respect both minority and majority in that situation.
"Let us not ask whether the glass is three quarters full or not. Let us look at the fact that we have got a process which enables the participants together to fill the glass to the brim if that is what they want to do."