THE British idea of holding an election before all party talks as a way of drawing unionist parties into negotiations on Northern Ireland's future appears to be finding favour within the US administration.
Despite President Clinton's expressed hope that all party talks will take place on schedule by the end of February, US officials apparently gave a sympathetic hearing yesterday to Mr Michael Ancram, the Northern Ireland Minister for Political Development, who told them that all party talks could not take place if all the parties did not come to the table.
An administration spokesman, Mr Jim Fetig, said last night in a statement "We continue to believe that all proposals for getting to all party talks should be seriously discussed and considered.
"We have urged that the proposal for elections be discussed as part of the twin track process. We appreciate the British government's willingness to give weight to the finding of the international body that the paramilitary organisations will not decommission weapons prior to talks and to open another route to all party talks".
The White House spokesman, Mr Mike McCurry, also told a briefing that the election proposal should be discussed by the parties "in the context of moving towards all party talks".
These comments, with their clear acknowledgment that the election option is now firmly on the table, were made after discussions between Mr Ancram and President Clinton's national security adviser, Mr Anthony Lake.
At the meeting, which he described as "very constructive, warm and positive", Mr Ancram pressed home the message that all party talks would be counter productive if all parties did not attend. "It still remains our firm aim to have all party talks by the end of February, but what we can't do is to command", he said.
Mr Ancram made it clear to his American hosts that there would be no election unless all parties agreed. "I've always regarded the electoral process as only working if it's broadly acceptable", he said. The election "would be to ball party talks ... They would bed a door rather than a hurdle".
Asked if the election would be called if unionists did not agree to all party talks afterwards, Mr Ancram said that the Mitchell recommendation of parallel talks and decommissioning would then "come in to play".
US President Clinton received a private letter from the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, yesterday setting out the Irish position, sources said last night. It was also learned that the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, spoke twice by telephone to Mr Anthony Lake in the White House in the past few days.