THE British and Irish governments have made a determined joint effort to inject fresh momentum into the multi-party talks which resumed at Stormont yesterday. However, grave concern was expressed by unionists over contacts between British civil servants and Sinn Fein.
The Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, tackled the issue of decommissioning paramilitary arms, which has caused a stalemate in the talks almost since they began on June 10th last year.
She told the opening plenary session she wanted to see the matter resolved "within weeks" and she would facilitate the necessary agreement.
Clarifying her approach with reporters afterwards, she said: "I do believe we have to work towards a deadline and then review the situation."
The Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Spring, told the parties that the failure of the talks to deal with the "core political issues" so far had been a "deeply disillusioning spectacle" to the general public.
Irish Government sources said he told delegates the talks were "fast approaching a defining moment". He said: "The stakes are too high for us to shirk our responsibilities."
He pointed out that whatever the result of Friday's General Election the basic position of the Irish Government would not change because there was a shared view of the key principles and broad outline of a settlement among the significant political parties in the Republic.
On the admission of Sinn Fein, Mr Spring said earlier: "The reality of Sinn Fein is that they have the key in their own pocket."
The Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, told reporters he had informed the parties in the talks of the UUP's very grave concern over recent violence and "the prospects for the future about which it is very difficult to feel any optimism at all".
He also expressed the UUP's very grave concerns about what appears to be a parallel set of talks that are going on between officials and members of Sinn Fein-lRA". He pointed out that the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, had given a "very specific and very limited rem it" to the civil servants to explain to Sinn Fein the nature of the government's policy.
"That rem it cannot have taken more than an hour at the most to discharge." It appeared to him that there was "a very real case for concern that the Prime Minister's intentions are being subverted".
Questioned on the issue later, the Northern Secretary said the contacts with Sinn Fein were a "clarificatory procedure" and not parallel negotiations. "We're not having additional meetings this week. Whether we have them next week or not depends on what happens on the ground. But I can be clear that we're not elongating that process," Dr Mowlam said.
Mr Gerry Adams arrived at the site of the talks in Stormont's Castle Buildings in the morning with a busload of Sinn Fein elected representatives, but the gates were closed and the group was refused admission.
"We are here to assert the rights of our electorate and the integrity of our democratic mandate which we have confirmed in two recent elections. We are here to make the point that the talks which are due to recommence today lack any credibility whatsoever."
In accordance with a Sinn Fein request made earlier by telephone, a civil servant accepted letters of protest addressed to Dr Mowlam and Mr Spring.
Asked to comment on the Republic's election, Mr Adams said he hoped to see a "stable government" which would deal in a progressive and positive way "on an inclusive basis" with the question of peace in the island.
The plenary session of the talks resumes on Tuesday.