THE Sinn Fein chairman, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, has said it is highly unlikely the IRA will call a ceasefire before the British general election.
He and the Sinn Fein vice president, Mr Pat Doherty, moved yesterday to dampen speculation on an IRA ceasefire before polling day on May 1st.
They also said they knew nothing of reports that the IRA may observe a de facto temporary ceasefire to facilitate Sinn Fein's election chances.
Mr Doherty said the speculation on a ceasefire was "just that speculation". The conditions were "absolutely not in place" for Sinn Fein to encourage the IRA to call a ceasefire.
Mr McLaughlin added it would be "surprising" if the IRA declared a ceasefire considering the Tory manifesto which "vindicated the Sinn Fein analysis that John Major is a unionist ... who was never going to move into a negotiating position".
"In those circumstances it would be surprising if the IRA were to take an initiative: I do think that the IRA is studying the situation just as carefully as everyone else. And if we have a new British government with a strengthened mandate, and independent in terms of being reliant on unionist votes, then we might see a new opportunity opening up."
Mr McLaughlin said the Tory manifesto proved the British government was not being truthful when in the Downing Street Declaration it indicated it was neutral on the North's position within the Union.
"John Major is a war monger in our society. John Major is the person who sabotaged the peace process. We would be into negotiations otherwise," he added.
Mr McLaughlin said he believed Labour shadow Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, was being "interesting and considered" when she said the IRA could be at the talks table in June if it declared an immediate and credible ceasefire.
While Dr Mowlam said Labour would not meet Sinn Fein in the absence of an IRA ceasefire, Mr McLaughlin hoped she "would see the benefit of private and confidential discussions, and Sinn Fein will continue to pursue that avenue".
Sinn Fein said it also knew nothing of the reports that the IRA may observe a limited ceasefire, declared or undeclared, during the election campaign to help the art's chances.
"I have no knowledge of what the IRA or the British army intends to do in the next few weeks," said Mr Doherty.
Mr McLaughlin added: "We want the next IRA cessation to be the last. We don't want temporary ceasefires. We don't want tactical ceasefires. What we want is a permanent end to all political violence.
"That means the British government's violence, the loyalist violence, and republican violence. And we have to do that through a process of talking to each other."
Meanwhile, the Ulster Democratic Party leader, Mr Gary McMichael, said yesterday that if there was to be any hope of inclusive talks, the IRA must initiate a ceasefire that was demonstrably credible.
"If republicans want inclusive talks, the IRA must call a ceasefire that gives the Ulster Unionist Party and David Trimble the option of remaining in the talks. If any new ceasefire is merely a restoring of the 1994 cessation with all the attendant targeting, weapons gathering and punishment attacks, then obviously unionists will walk away from talking with Sinn Fein," he added.
Mr Gerry Kelly, Sinn Fein candidate in North, Belfast, rejected Mr McMichael's assertion that a simple "restoration" of the IRA ceasefire would result in unionists abandoning the talks.
