SIR Patrick Mayhew has said the May 30th elections will empower the people of Northern Ireland and give them "a direct role in setting negotiations in progress" providing both context and mandate.
Above all, he said, the poll would give them the chance "to express the great yearning on the ground to see talks taking place, understanding increased, and an acceptable accommodation found".
But the question of decommissioning weapons, and of Sinn Fein's path to the conference table, dominated yesterday's Second Reading debate on the Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations etc) Bill in the House of Commons.
The Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble, made it clear he expected agreement on how a process of "parallel decommissioning" would operate in advance of the June 10th date for all party negotiations.
Sir Patrick repeated the demand of the British and Irish governments for "the unequivocal restoration of the ceasefire of August 1994" as the price of Sinn Fein's participation.
But the Northern Ireland Secretary said what was new was that, at the beginning of the negotiations, the parties must make clear "their total and absolute commitment to the principles of democracy and non violence set out in the Mitchell Report, and would also need to address, at that stage, its proposals on decommissioning".
Quoting Mr John Major, the Northern Ireland Secretary said: "The question of decommissioning must be addressed at the beginning and progress must be made. There must be parallel decommissioning, as the Mitchell principle sets out. As the talks proceed, the decommissioning must proceed in parallel with the talks. The precise manner of that is a matter to be determined at the beginning of the talks
The North Down MP, Mr Robert McCartney, asked Sir Patrick if a party could "address" decommissioning while proceeding to the end of the negotiations process without actually decommissioning. The Rev Ian Paisley wanted to know how Sir Patrick would decide if a new IRA cease fire was "for real".
In reply, Sir Patrick said that would be a matter for judgments on the circumstances at the time, and it would not be prudent to give a hypothetical answer. But he agreed it would be "necessary for consultations to establish a means by which that addressing can be undertaken".
Sir Patrick told the House: "In principle we wish to see involved in the negotiations all parties that have shown they have sufficient electoral support. Nevertheless, as both we and the Irish Government have consistently made plain ... whether Sinn Fein take their place in the negotiations is for the Republican movement to decide".
Mr Trimble said the Mitchell principles "go far beyond the 1994 ceasefire". But he told Sir Patrick: "We need, well before 10th June, to have a clear agreement as to how the commitment to those principles is going to be expressed in a clear and unequivocal way".
The UUP leader said: "It means following that through with actions . . . There has to be agreement on how those actions will take place."
Mr Trimble pressed the government about its preparedness, and that of the Irish Government, to bring forward the legislation necessary to dive effect to the limited immunity provisions required to cover decommissioning.
For the SDLP, Mr Eddie McGrady accused the government of following a "unionist led agenda" and said elections were "proverbially predictable." They were, he said, "about victory and defeat. One fights' an election. On the other hand, negotiations are about common interests and striving for compromise." He continued: "Yet these two contradictory things have been grouped together in these proposals only because the unionists want the ritual comfort of seeing that there is indeed a unionist majority and a nationalist minority in Northern Ireland".
Nevertheless, he declared: "The SDLP is well used to fighting and winning elections in the most difficult of circumstances and the ballot box has not, and will not, hold any fear for us."
The South Down MP said: "It remains to be seen whether the government has led us into an Unnecessary detour or a quagmire. Nevertheless, given the strange decision to proceed on this twisted and pot holed route to negotiations, we acknowledge that journey has begun with the Bill's instruction."
The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, said that instead of coming forward with an elective process broadly acceptable to all the parties, the government had chosen one that was "totally unacceptable" to all parties.
The government's proposals brought together "all the worst aspects of each elective system", he said. "As far as this Bill, as presently constituted, is concerned, it is deficient in many ways. Indeed it is deficient in so many ways it would be impossible to give it support tonight".
He hoped the Government would be amenable to amendments during the Bill's committee stage to take account of some of his concerns.
I think there are changes that can be made in this Bill that can make it a worthwhile process and people in Northern Ireland can have faith in it, but the onus will be on the Government.
The Second Reading was passed without a division.