Bruton calls for end to IRA campaign to clear talks path

AN END to the IRA campaign would remove the obstacle to Sinn Fein's participation in all party talks, the Taoiseach said. "They can only do so when the IRA stops killing people," Mr Bruton added.

Asked by the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, if that was also the British view, Mr Bruton said the British government wanted to see all parties at the negotiating table, including Sinn Fein. But the first responsibility for ensuring that the party qualified rested with the IRA.

"Killing people has no place in politics. It is not part of the political process. It is not acceptable in many republic that people should "kill people for political purposes."

As long as the IRA pursued its campaign of violence, Sinn Fein was in a different position to other parties, he said.

However, discussions at official level had been taking place with a view to ascertaining Sinn Fein's views and to communicate the Government's views.

He hoped it would be possible for some time to continue with that procedure. It was a fact that no matter how much one would might abhor the IRA's of violence and abhor Sinn Fein's association with the IRA, one had "to take into account that the party did have an electoral mandate from a significant section of the community. Those views needed to be taken into account if one was looking for a settlement.

Mr Ahern said Sir Patrick Mayhew's claim that Sinn Fein had now disqualified itself from participating in talks because of the renewed IRA bombing campaign would have had more credibility and sincerity if Sir Patrick had not ruled Sinn Fein out of talks almost a year ago.

Mr Ahern suggested it was no longer good enough to say that all party talks were "tantalisingly close" as the Taoiseach had said so many times. Now it should be said that they should happen, He asked Mr Bruton to reveal what proposal the Government was following.

The Taoiseach said negotiations were taking place with the British government on a daily basis. He had had a conversation on the previous night with Mr John Major and officials from both governments were in discussions it further the proposals he had made to the Prime Minister.

The discussions were confidential and it was not for him to elaborate. But their objective was a specific date for all party talks. They were seeking to take into account proposals that might have been made by others to incorporate as much as was helpful.

Mr Bruton said the most effective way of restoring the ceasefire was to have agreed a specific date for the opening of, all party negotiations and go through whatever procedures were necessary to achieve that.

He agreed with Mr Ahern that the assistance of Senator George Mitchell would be particularly helpful and he was looking forward to meeting him tomorrow.

He was appreciative of the constructive and supportive role of the US administration and of US opinion generally in regard to the peace process.

Replying to the PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, the Taoiseach said the role of proximity talks was one of the issues being pursued by the Government in its approach to the negotiations with the British government.

"We believe that this approach is probably the only practical way of clearing up a lot of the understandings and disagreements that exist around procedural issues, in terms of how to get to and manage all party negotiations.

Earlier, Mr Ahern said the horrible injuries suffered by an innocent Dublin man in the London bus bombing graphically illustrated that the IRA campaign was a reprehensible attack on all the people of the islands.

Agreeing with Mr Ahern's observation, Mr Bruton said exploding bombs in London caused grave difficulty for the Irish living in Britain.

"It seems to be something that is not given any weight by those who plant such bombs. It is a factor I hope they would take into account as yet another reason why they should revert to the path of peace.

Asked by Ms Harney, if it was still his view that holding elections in the North would "throw petrol "on the flames", the Taoiseach said that view was expressed on a proposal which appeared to be put to him. This was that the British government might proceed with elections unilaterally in the immediate aftermath of the of IRA violence.