The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, has said there would be no barrier to a Dail alliance between his party and Sinn Fein once a decommissioning process had begun.
In an interview with the Irish News published yesterday, he said: "Once they have embarked on a process of decommissioning that is credible, I see absolutely no reason why, if there is policy compatibility, we couldn't do business with Sinn Fein or any other political party." He ruled out any such pact with Fianna Fail, on the grounds that the parties were too big, and an alliance between them would be bad for politics.