SF must be allowed place in talks, says Adams

THE election result in West Belfast has sent a clear message to "those in high places in Dublin and London that Sinn Fein voters have the right to be treated equally", according to the winner of the seat, Mr Gerry Adams.

Sinn Fein must be allowed its place in talks, he said, and the "whopping" majority won by the new British government opened the opportunity to put past failures behind them. "I hope Mr Blair, as well as leading Britain into a new century, can lead the two communities in Ireland into a real peace settlement."

On the resignation of John Major he added: "Mr Major, in his own words, had the best opportunity for peace in 75 years and he failed to grasp it. But I say that more in sadness than in anger, and I wish him well. In fairness to him, he was in hock to the unionists at Westminster and the new Labour government won't be.

The defeated SDLP candidate in West Belfast, Dr Joe Hendron, said voters in the constituency had made a statement in voting as they did. He believed both the Sinn Fein and SDLP votes were votes for peace and he accepted that Mr Adams was genuinely committed to seeking a settlement.

"But it has to be a genuine peace, not just a tactical cessation. And a genuine peace includes an end to smashing the arms and legs of young people."

SDLP sources admitted surprise and disappointment at the scale of the defeat. From early yesterday morning they were admitting victory was unlikely, but a high tactical vote by unionists in the Shankill and a better than expected share of the poll in republican Twinbrook, which has been added to the constituency since the last election, suggested a much smaller Sinn Fein majority.

"It'll take us a couple of days to sit down and see exactly what happened," a spokesman said.

The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, thanked "almighty God" after surviving a much vaunted challenge from the UUP in East Belfast to have his majority cut by only 500. But he rejected suggestions afterwards that he had had to increase his campaign efforts greatly to hold the seat against Mr Reg Empey.

He also played down the defeat of the Rev William McCrea in Mid Ulster. "He was in a constituency which was undoubtedly a borrowed seat, given that it has a huge nationalist majority. In that sense, it's not a rejection of DUP policies or of him, and I believe we'll see him back as an MP before long."

Mr Empey said that, despite his defeat, it had been a good day for the UUP. But the success had been "tarnished" by the two Sinn Fein victories: "It's a sad day when two representatives of the IRA are able to walk the corridors of the mother of parliaments."

The PUP's Mr David Ervine said Sinn Fein's success represented either the acceptance by its electorate of the ballot box/Armalite strategy or an acceptance of the "primacy of democracy". Only time would tell, he added.

Having greatly increased his vote to finish third in South Belfast, Mr Ervine said he had staked a claim to the seat and would win it in five years time. And, accepting that Ms Mo Mowlam would be the new Northern Secretary, he cautioned her against trying to do too much too fast.

"I would imagine that with a majority such as they have, Labour will want to force the pace. The basic policy won't change, but the pace will, and I would just say the new Northern Secretary has to be careful in her first 100 days."

The Workers' Party welcomed the Labour landslide as the end of a "nightmare". The party's president, Mr Tom French, said he would be seeking an early meeting with the new Northern Secretary to seek a reversal of the Tories' "cynical cuts" in education and the NHS.