Arms issue could create talks block - Morrison

IF THE decommissioning of weapons was treated as the first item on the agenda in the multi party talks then there would be a "real problem" in making any progress or creating a new IRA ceasefire, former US Congressman Mr Bruce Morrison said last night.

He also warned that if there were a ceasefire, it would be "disastrous", to put further pre conditions in place before Sinn Fein could enter the talks.

Mr Morrison is leading an Irish American delegation which was a key influence in the buildup to the 1994 IRA ceasefire. He reiterated last night, however, that the optimism expressed by the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, in Washington two weeks ago and the "spin off" of speculation afterwards about an imminent IRA ceasefire was misplaced.

The delegation arrived as the Sinn Fein vice president, Mr Martin McGuinness, said the talks process should be wound up and a new one constructed. "The peace process as we knew it is now dead and the two governments have refused to bury it," he said on BBC Radio Ulster. "I think that most people recognise that the next move forward is a reconstruction of a completely new peace process," he added.

The US delegation also includes the publisher of the Irish Voice, Mr Niall O'Dowd, businessman Mr Charles Feeney, and trade unionist Mr Joe Jamison. Although it was acting privately it will report back to the White House and key Irish American groups.

Speaking after talks in Donegal yesterday afternoon with the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, Mr Morrison said the meeting confirmed what Sinn Fein had said about a ceasefire not being imminent.

He accepted that a ceasefire was a given pre condition for Sinn Fein's entry into talks. But if they were lucky enough to get a ceasefire it would be disastrous for more conditions to be added to prove the bona fides of that ceasefire. A repeat of what happened after the last ceasefire would mean an end to any progress.

The delegation, which had dinner with Baroness Denton last night, was looking forward to meeting the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, today, whom he said played a "pivotal role" in getting something done.

They will meet the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, this afternoon and were hoping to meet the loyalist parties before going to Dublin tomorrow to meet the Taoiseach. The DUP has declined an invitation to meet them.

Mr Morrison and his colleagues met the leader of the Alliance party, Dr John Alderdice, early on Saturday and later had 2 1/2 hours of talks with Sinn Fein.

At a press conference after the Sinn Fein meeting he was asked if he believed decommissioning was deliberately being used to block Sinn Fein's entry to the process.

"I don't assign motives to people involved in this process," he said. "We have seen the decommissioning issue prevent progress over a long period of time, and we would like to see that situation change.

Asked if he accepted the bona fides of Sinn Fein that it could not go to the IRA to demand a ceasefire, he said the group had always been given reliable information by the leadership in Sinn Fein and "we have been able to rely on what they told us".

Mr Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein president, said the party gave them its assessment of the current situation "and our view of what is required for a new peace process". The British government had to play a central role. "It must try and create an inclusive process on some basis of an agreed time frame, must be prepared to show people that they have confidence in Britain's commitment to such process and must remove all preconditions to the dialogue."