THE doors of communication with Sinn Fein have not been closed, the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, said yesterday.
"We have not closed the door of communication with Sinn Fein. Even this very morning, a very senior official in my Department was talking to a very senior person in Sinn Fein," he said.
"Sinn Fein has been told, if they wish to convey messages or views to the Irish Government, there are means available for them to do that," he said.
But he added the Government was not going to, give Sinn Fein the political recognition that it would give to parties which are exclusively using peaceful methods.
Asked if he blamed Sinn Fein in any way for the London bombings, Mr Bruton replied that he did not but the party was associated with the republican movement and the IRA was using violent methods to promote the Sinn Fein programme.
Sinn Fein had considerable influence with the IRA and must encourage the IRA to give up violence, as they have done in the past.
He said a simple statement ending violence and an actual cessation of violence from the IRA was necessary for the full restoration of relations with Sinn Fein.
Mr Bruton said he understood the frustration of Sinn Fein during the cessation of violence.
"The unionists have been grossly shortsighted in refusing to talk to Sinn Fein during the cessation of violence. They had hard questions they could have asked Sinn Fein in regard to decommissioning of weapons but they would not even talk to them," he said.
"Equally, as far as the British are concerned, I believe the idea of insisting on a gesture of decommissioning was a mistake. It was not going to happen," he said.
The killings in London made the process much more difficult, but he stressed that the Government was determined to reinstate the peace process as it was going forward.