MR Gerry Adams has accused Mr John Major, of engaging in "rhetoric" on decommissioning. The British strategy, he believed, was to create a single issue "decommissioning conference".
The Sinn Fein leader yesterday cited the British Prime Minister's recent Irish Times article in which he indicated decommissioning would not be a block to talks. Yet this week's Anglo Irish Conference illustrated that the two governments were deadlocked on the nature of the talks agenda, Mr Adams said.
He accused Mr David Trimble and Mr John Taylor, both of the Ulster Unionist Party, and the DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, of playing the Orange card. Their hardline stances were a vindication of the argument that the election would serve no useful purpose other than to push politicians into intransigent positions.
"All party talks have to begin. They should have begun long before this. It is up to the British government to get its act together. It is up to the two governments to agree an agenda and the other party leaders to at least accept their responsibility to bring this situation forward.
"If John Bruton is unable to persuade John Major - despite what he may be saying to the contrary - to agree a proper agenda, then how much more cynical will nationalists and republicans be," Mr Adams said.
He added that the current impasse posed no political danger to Sinn Fein. Rather, it pointed to difficulties for the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, who had given an assurance three weeks ago that the talks would be substantive.
Mr Bruton had said he and Mr Major were speaking with "one voice" on this matter, according to Mr Adams. The "British strategy of trying to reduce the talks to a "decommissioning conference affected Mr Bruton and the other parties as much as Sinn Fein.
