THE Tanaiste, Mr Spring, has written to the loyalist political group which broke off contact with the Government six weeks ago, assuring it of the Government's good faith and seeking to reinstate communication.
Mr Spring wrote to the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), Mr David Ervine, to try to resolve what he described as the "rift arising from our last meeting here in Dublin on February 6th."
The PUP is the political party most closely linked with the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).
A delegation from the PUP met Mr Spring and the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, at Iveagh House on February 6th. The PUP sought information about the Government's alternatives to an electoral process in Northern Ireland prior to all party talks.
Sources close to the PUP said that the meeting had been difficult and unproductive and accused the Government of being over critical of unionists. A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman rejected this, describing the meeting as "amicable".
The next day the two governments announced the proximity talks, which took the PUP by surprise. This was followed by the ending of the IRA ceasefire which, like the Dublin meeting, was seen by the PUP as undermining the position of the loyalist political groups.
The PUP broke off contact with the Government and since then, apart from the Tanaiste's letter, the only communication has been through intermediaries.
In his letter, Mr Spring praised the contribution made by the PUP and the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP), the political group most closely associated with the other loyalist paramilitary organisation, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), in attempting "to make a lasting peace and stability on this island".
The Tanaiste referred to an undertaking "to the effect that the Irish Government would not be involved in talks relating exclusively to relationships within Northern Ireland".
He continued "This commitment was included in specific response to concerns which you personally had raised during the course of our meeting. I hope these points will help to convince you and your colleagues of the good faith of the Government in the dealings with your party and that this might allow our relationships to be restored to their previous good standing.
"The Progressive Unionist
Party has an important contribution to make to lasting peace and stability on this island. The actions of your party and of the UDP in projecting the concerns and presenting the interests of the people which you represent, beyond their previously limited audience, together with your dedicated efforts to maintain the CLMC [Combined Loyalist Military Command] ceasefire, have had an enormous impact in raising awareness here to the concerns of the working class unionists.
"Contacts with your party are an important element of any attempt by the Irish Government to obtain a full understanding of most opinion in relation to the forthcoming all party negotiations, at which we believe strongly your party must be adequately represented."
Mr Spring said he hoped direct contact between the Government and the PUP could be re-established during the current round of political consultations.
The letter is understood to have gone some way to appeasing the loyalists, but sources said there was no immediate sign of the PUP resuming direct contacts with the Government.