THE Taoiseach renewed his call for an IRA ceasefire when answering questions on next Monday's all party talks on the North.

Mr Bruton was replying to the PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, following his return from London where he met the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Mr David Trimble. She asked him if he was hopeful of an IRA ceasefire to facilitate Sinn Fein's participation the talks.

"I certainly am anxious that there should be an IRA ceasefire," said Mr Bruton. "I think it would be of great importance and represent a very major assistance to the success of the talks."

It was important to see the talks for what they were the first opportunity for many, many years for all, including those who had traditionally relied on physical force, to get around the same table.

"It is an opportunity that needs to be grasped now. It is not something about which there should be procrastination. Opportunities of this nature do not come easily. It was not easy to get agreement for a fixed date for all party talks.

"It was one of the most difficult tasks that any government of this country has had to undertake. But it was successfully undertaken. We now have a fixed date and decisions need to be made by others so that that debate will be one where all the parties will be able to participate on the rules that have been agreed to."

Ms Harney asked the Taoiseach comment on remarks by Mr Seamus Mallon that the SDLP would be more than capable of representing nationalists at the talks if Sinn Fein was excluded in the absence of an IRA ceasefire.

Mr Bruton replied. "I would not care to enter into comment on a statement of that kind, which relates to the views of a particular political party in regard to other political parties. I think it is best that I should not comment on what the deputy has brought to my notice."

Ms Harney said she was surprised by the Taoiseach's comments.

Mr Bruton declined to elaborate on the details of his meeting with Mr Trimble, other than to say that it had been a "useful and constructive exchange of views." He stressed it was not a negotiating meeting.

"Its was a discussion where we reviewed the situation generally as I reviewed the situation generally in recent meetings I had with the leader of the SDLP and the leader of the Alliance Party."

Pressed by the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, to say if he had "persuaded" Mr Trimble on the role to be played by Senator George Mitchell in the talks, the Taoiseach said he did not want to get involved in a commentary on private meetings.

Asked by Ms Harney if he was confident the remaining areas of difference between the two governments would be resolved before next Monday, the Taoiseach said there had been agreement on an enormous range of issues.

"There are issues still remaining to be settled and, obviously, it would be the wish of the two governments to agree as many as possible of the remaining issues before the talks commence.

"Of course, it is a fact that the purpose of the talks is to reach agreement on issues that are currently disagreed. Therefore, it is not necessarily a failing that everything that could possibly be agreed by the two governments is not agreed in advance. But, as far as possible, one should seek to agree everything possible in advance and that is what we are trying to do."