SENATOR Edward Kennedy has accused the British government of a "grave and profound mistake" in refusing to build on the IRA ceasefire while it lasted.
Saying that he condemned the IRA for breaking the ceasefire, the senator rejected the views of some unionists that "the ceasefire itself, was phony". Those 17 months of freedom from violence were not a sham, he said.
"Day after day, week after week, month after month, the British government refused to, build on the opportunity for' peace, and that refusal was a grave and profound mistake. Instead of a historic opportunity for peace, the 17-month ceasefire became a historic missed opportunity."
Senator Kennedy was speaking in New York at the presentation of an award to Mr Bill Flynn by the National Committee on Foreign Policy for his contributions to the search for peace in the North.
Senator Kennedy also urged the IRA "to accept the desire of the people they claim to represent and to restore the ceasefire - and restore it now". Its aspiration for a united Ireland was legitimate but the only way to achieve it was by democratic means.
"Violence will never receive the support of the vast majority of Irish-Americans who care deeply about Ireland."
Senator Kennedy said: "Prime Minister John Major's current tenuous hold on power may well prevent any real further progress towards' peace before the next British elections" but the work for peace would have to go on.
It was his hope that "the IRA will declare a new ceasefire now and that in the spring, a new British government with a strong majority will be bolder and more creative in its approach to Northern Ireland".