THE following is the statement from Mr John Major after yesterday's summit meeting.
"We are united in wishing to see a credible ceasefire. We are united also, provided we can get a credible and verifiable ceasefire, in seeing Sinn Fein join the talks, and making them inclusive in due course. And of course, they would have to join the talks in accordance with the ground rules that were established some many months ago.
We both wish those talks to succeed, but we recognise that if they are to succeed they must be carried out on a basis that will require all the participants to remain at the table, so that we can credibly examine the issues that still lie before us.
I don't wish this afternoon to speculate about whether a particular date is possible for Sinn Fein to join the talks. That, as I have indicated on a number of occasions, depends upon what is said and done, and whether an unequivocal ceasefire is declared, and is then held after having been declared.
Clearly the developments on the ground need to be consistent with the Mitchell principles of peace and democracy. And I certainly share with the Taoiseach a wish that we will be able to get in due course to inclusive talks involving all parties as soon as all the parties have established their commitment to a democratic process and to peaceful means.
I share his judgment too that there should be no undue and unnecessary delay in coming to a judgment upon this matter. But the onus, to enable us to reach that judgment, depends upon the actions of Sinn Fein/IRA firstly to restore their ceasefire credibly, to do so as soon as possible, and then to have a judgment made upon whether it is a genuine and lasting ceasefire and upon the actions on the ground that we need to see in order to establish the ground rules procedure.
Those are the matters that we need to look at. But whether they join the talks or not, we expect the talks to continue in any event.
They would be better if inclusive, but whether inclusive or not depends upon the actions of Sinn Fein/IRA, and a proper judgment being made upon whether those actions are sincere and lasting or not."