Ceasefire conditions met - Bruton

THERE was an all party consensus in Leinster House that the conditions had now been fulfilled for the immediate restoration of the IRA ceasefire, the Taoiseach said.

"I am very glad, and it should be noted, that there is unanimity in this House on that point now," said Mr Bruton, whose call for a renewed IRA ceasefire prompted shouts of "hear hear" from the Government benches.

He was responding to opposition reaction to Mr John Major's, article in yesterday's Irish Times.

It was important, said the Taoiseach, that all who spoke of a democratic consensus would recognise that it existed in the Dail on the urgent need for another ceasefire.

"I think it is particularly important to take account of the fact that there is a big opportunity available, which may not come easily again, on June 10th. The opportunity arises from the fact that there is a specific provision for all party talks to start on that date.

"It arises from the fact that this British Prime Minister is deeply engaged and interested in ensuring that a solution is found in those negotiations. He could not be more committed to that end. And I think that is very clear from his article.

"It also arises from the fact that the present US administration, and indeed the present US congress on a bipartisan basis, are focused on solving this problem at this time. And I emphasise at this time. That focus exists now."

Mr Bruton warned that if the opportunity created was frittered away through Sinn Fein not being able to participate, because of the IRA's failure to call a ceasefire, it would not be easy to reassemble that bipartisan focus in the US.

On a timetable for the talks, Mr" Bruton said: "There is a timetable" in the legislation setting up the election and subsequent negotiations ... a timetable of approximately a year with the possibility of renewal. Obviously, it is possible that the work could be done in a shorter period.

"When the parties get together, they may well agree to do the work within a shorter timeframe and set themselves targets for agreement on various topics within that shorter timeframe."

The Taoiseach said it was important that one of the parties to be there on June 10th, to agree that timeframe, should be Sinn Fein. And the only requirement for that was for the IRA to restore its ceasefire.

The assurances he had given in his Finglas speech about the way in which the negotiations should be conducted were not solely based on his authority or that of the Government.

"They are based in large measure on specific agreements negotiated between the Irish and British governments which are on the public record. For example, there is, in particular, the ground rules document for the talks which was negotiated by the Tanaiste."

It was important, therefore, when people were comparing his Finglas speech with Mr Major's necessarily more brief article, to recognise that the assurances given in Finglas were in large measure based on agreements which involved the Irish and British governments.

The Taoiseach said the message going forth from the House was saying to those who could ensure the talks were fully inclusive: "Please do restore your ceasefire now. Do not delay any longer. Restore it straight away.

It was important, said Mr Bruton, to acknowledge that there were two ceasefires which needed to be maintained. There was the loyalist ceasefire, remaining in place, which was very important to the peace process.

Earlier, the Fianna Fail leader said: "Overall, we hope that the [Major] article will be received in a positive spirit and that it will be further built on by the two governments. I believe there is an opportunity, and the next few weeks could be a very important window to make sure that it works."

Mr Bertie Ahern added that Fianna Fail welcomed the "conciliatory and constructive" tone of Mr Major's article, which was helpful as far as it went. "We believe that there is a compelling case for a reinstatement and maintenance of the IRA ceasefire."

Given what had been said by the Taoiseach and Tanaiste, and what was stated at the time of the launch of the Framework Document, there was a shared understanding between the two governments which was strongly commended to the parties and people on the island, said Mr Ahern. He could not understand why Mr Major had not mentioned it at all.

On this issue, it would be helpful if the Irish Government could convince Mr Major to state his position once again.

Mr Ahern said he agreed with the Taoiseach that there should be a timeframe for the talks. "It seems that having gone so far, not to state some kind of a timetable is a mistake."

Welcoming the "conciliatory" tone of Mr Major's article, the PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, said she particularly welcomed his assurance that the decommissioning issue would not block all party negotiations.

"I think that the biggest obstacle in the way of the all party negotiations remains the failure of the IRA to restore its ceasefire. And I think we must ensure that we are not going to endanger the peace process by engaging in a war of words and analysing it to death.

"There is an enormous opportunity now, and we must not let it be frittered away. And that opportunity in particular must be grasped by the politicians in Northern Ireland who must go into the talks process willing to do business and willing to compromise.

"I would call on the leadership of Sinn Fein to use its influence to have the IRA ceasefire restored so that it can take part in the all inclusive talks that give us a great opportunity to have a political settlement in Northern Ireland and to transform this island."