IRA could not call a ceasefire and then expect all political parties to talk to Sinn Fein representatives, the British Prime Minister said yesterday.
Mr John Major predicted that, even with a ceasefire in place, the question would not only he whether the British government would talk to Sinn Fein, but if bother parties would also be willing to do so.
Asked on BBC Breakfast News if in the present climate he thought Sinn Fein could play a role in the talks process in the future he said it was "a choice for Sinn Fein. It's still open to them, even after Manchester".
Mr Major reiterated that the IRA's ceasefire must be restored before Sinn Fein could enter talks. If Sinn Fein thought it could have a ceasefire and walk into talks the next day, "that clearly isn't the case", he said.
The past two years had seen "dramatic changes" in Northern Ireland, and if people could have predicted that Sinn Fein and the IRA would become so isolated by their own actions, "they wouldn't have believed it".
It was the people of Northern Ireland who were "the great impetus, the great source of hope and confidence" in the search for peace, Mr Major said.