SINN FEIN had not been excluded from the Stormont talks, the party had excluded itself, the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, said yesterday. He described Sinn Fein's attempt to gain admittance to the talks as "a demonstration designed to secure publicity".
"By the abandonment of the ceasefire they excluded themselves from ministerial dialogue," he told reporters. "Restore the ceasefire and, depending upon events on the ground, ministerial dialogue will be resumed."
Both governments had made it "very clear" that Sinn Fein "are welcome to enter talks at ministerial level provided they lift what is their own self exclusion, namely, the abandonment of the ceasefire".
He described his meeting with the Tanaiste, Mr Spring as "useful and constructive". The two governments had identified issues that would need to be explored with the various parties. The two governments also met jointly with an SDLP delegation.
"It is absolutely right that there shall be in these first meetings quite a lot of hard talking and we have had that today." Sir Patrick said there were "very sensible grounds for being hopeful".
Commenting on the fact that the main unionist parties had not come to Stormont, he said: "What is important is that we talk in whatever place and in whatever configuration seems most convenient to the parties at the time. It wasn't specified in the communique that talks should take place in any particular format or configuration or, come to that place.
Both governments were "committed" to June 10th as the date when all party negotiations were going to take place.