PRESIDENT Clinton is to call for an immediate IRA ceasefire and express support for Sinn Fein entry to all party talks afterwards, when he meets the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, today.
During a brief visit to London he is expected to praise Mr Blair for his attempts to revive the peace process and to express the view that a ceasefire should and will facilitate Sinn Fein participation in the Stormont talks.
A Sinn Fein delegation met senior British civil servants in Belfast for 3 1/2 hours yesterday. Nationalist sources in the peace process said that although the atmosphere was good there was a "lack of substance" and "no real dealing". A third meeting has been agreed in principle.
It is understood that the US deputy national security adviser, Mr Jim Steinberg, has had several telephone contacts since the British general election with the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams MP.
During his London visit, Mr Clinton will have a special meeting with the British cabinet, including the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Dr Mo Mowlam. She will leave immediately afterwards for a meeting in Dublin with the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Spring, to discuss next week's resumption of the Stormont talks.
Mr Adams is seeking immediate entry to the talks. But the British government has refused to guarantee this in the event of an IRA ceasefire, although it stresses there will be no unnecessary delay.
It is understood that Sinn Fein has argued consideration should be given to IRA guns having been silent since the shooting of a woman RUC officer in Derry on April 10th. Speaking on BBC Radio last weekend, Dr Mowlam hinted this might be a possibility.
Irish Government sources said yesterday that, if a ceasefire were called in the near future, the adjournment of the talks for the summer holidays could be "used creatively" in devising a formula to facilitate Sinn Fein entry to talks in September.
The two recent meetings between Sinn Fein and Irish Government officials have helped greatly in improving relations between the republicans and Downing Street. Considerable weight is given by the other governments to Dublin's assessment of the republican movement's intentions.
In their meetings with Sinn Fein, the Irish officials have been stressing the importance of grasping the present opportunity and warning that any further IRA violence would have a major alienating effect on British opinion.
The President and the Prime Minister are to give a joint press conference in the garden of No 10 Downing Street this afternoon. when they are likely to refer to Northern Ireland.
The North is one of the key issues of the Clinton visit, and the President is expected to offer continued US assistance in reviving the peace process.
Mr Clinton is in a unique position to influence Northern Ireland affairs since he has extended the hand of friendship to unionists while at the same time acquiring considerable credibility on the nationalist side.
Senior figures in Northern Ireland's political parties are leaving for South Africa today for a weekend conference at which they will study approaches to peace and reconciliation in that country.
It is understood arrangements have been made so that unionist participants can avoid meeting members of the Sinn Fein delegation if that is their wish.
The validity of the loyalist ceasefire is expected to occupy several days of the Stormont talks when they resume on Tuesday.
Unionist sources have expressed reservations about the informal style of the new Northern Ireland Secretary, but added that she had done "nothing terribly dangerous" so far from a unionist point of view.