FORMER US senator Mr George Mitchell has indicated a willingness to accept a role in a "peace mission" to Ireland if he is asked to do so by President Clinton.
Earlier, the US ambassador, Ms Jean Kennedy Smith, agreed to put to her administration in Washington a Fianna Fail proposal that Mr Mitchell become further involved in the peace process as an envoy.
Speaking to journalists after meeting the ambassador at the US embassy in Dublin, the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, said Mr Mitchell should be invited as a peace envoy and see if he can bring some sense and meaning" to bear on the peace process in the wake of the London bombing.
The ambassador was agreeable to the idea and was willing to put it to the US authorities, he said. Mr Mitchell would be readily acceptable to both Governments and as an envoy with "great negotiating skills and understanding", he could win the goodwill of the political parties and use his recently published report on decommissioning as a basis for talks, Mr Ahern added.
"In the present vacuum, it is a suggestion worthy of merit. The ambassador questioned us closely on how it would work and how both governments could be brought on side to the idea," he said.
The concept of a peace envoy, working on the basis of a report on which almost everyone was agreed, was the best way forward. There was no alternative on the negotiating table that seemed to have "any semblance of sanity".
However, Government sources last night reacted coolly to the idea of a peace envoy.
Asked if President Clinton could contribute to the situation, Mr Ahern replied, "Of course he can. His administration has been a most significant player in the peace process.
Mr Ahern urged that all channels of communication remain open between the Government and Sinn Fein, even if an "up front" meeting between the sides was not possible. He could see no difficulty with Government sources talking to those people in Sinn Fein who were not aware of Friday night's bombing.