THE decommissioning issue moved back up the political agenda last night after a day of talks dominated by the question of an "elective process" in the North.
A resumed meeting of the Anglo Irish Inter Governmental Conference (IGC) in Dublin next Wednesday will focus on British proposals for elections as a route to all party talks.
But the spotlight turned once more on arms decommissioning as the British signalled the need for legislation to effect the recommendations of the Mitchell report. This would be in addition to legislation required to establish an "elected body" in the North, which British ministers believe could be operational by May.
This was raised briefly at yesterday's IGC in London. However, the talks between the Tanaiste and Northern Secretary Sir Patrick Mayhew centred on what Mr Spring termed the "obvious differences of emphasis" the two governments had placed on the Mitchell report.
On his return last night, Mr Spring said the meeting would have to resume next week "because of the complexity of the issues we are determined to work through".
Mr David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist Party leader, first raised the issue after a 75 minute meeting with Mr John Major, at the House of Commons. Anticipating difficulties on the road to agreement over an elected body, Mr Trimble said a "tight focus" was required to provide for decommissioning "along the lines recommended by former senator Mitchell".
While his proposed elected body "obviates the need for prior decommissioning", Mr Trimble told a Westminster press conference that "the need as a whole does not disappear".
Senior British sources later confirmed the need for legislation to give effect to proposed amnesty provisions in relation to decommissioning and was confident it "need not be controversial" in the Commons, given its limitations. Such an amnesty would relate to possible charges of possession arising from decommissioning. Any forensic evidence obtained as a result would be deemed inadmissible to the courts in the prosecution of any other offence.
Maintaining the commitment toe the goal of all party talks by the end of this month, Mr Spring said election prospects had not been advanced "one way or the other".
British ministers are apparently confident they can persuade Dublin and northern nationalists that the unionist parties intend a process leading to substantive negotiations.
The expectation seems to be that the idea can be reworked through the twin track strategy, emerging from it as an agreed position rather than, as Sinn Fe in has said, a British or unionist precondition. British ministers accept they have a lot of work to do if Dublin is to be reconciled to this way forward.
Mr Trimble said yesterday "a form of dialogue" would begin immediately up on the election of his proposed peace convention". And he added they were "looking at the possibility of giving some indication of how the body would operate in advance of elections".
President Bill Clinton joined a scheduled meeting in the White House yesterday between the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams and the US National Security Adviser, Mr Anthony Lake. A statement later quoted Mr Lake as saying the President "underscored the need for rapid progress to all party talks" and "encouraged all parties to remain committed to the search for peace and deter mined in its pursuit". The statement did not mention elections.