The British government needed to show greater urgency in its approach to the peace process, the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, has said. The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, said during a visit to Northern Ireland yesterday the talks were "entering a crucial phase".
Mr Adams told The Irish Times that although the British government was "well-disposed" to wards the process, six months after its arrival in office the "securocrats" were still running the system. "It is a test of Mr Blair; it isn't a test of me."
Mr Adams also criticised the Ulster Unionist Party's approach to the negotiations. It was the only party at the table which had still not talked to Sinn Fein. It was good that Mr Trimble had met the Taoiseach and the SDLP, "but we should bear in mind this is sup posed to be an inclusive process".
Mr Trimble wanted to exclude Sinn Fein and only have talks with the Irish Government and the SDLP. This had not achieved a peace settlement in the past and would not in the future. Mr Trimble aimed to subvert the process.
Although Mr Adams stressed he was not taking a "begrudging" attitude to recent demilitarisation moves, nevertheless the paratroops who returned to Britain had reached the end of their tour.
On the ending of British army daytime foot patrols in west Belfast, he wondered what the reaction would be if the IRA had ceased activity during daylight hours only. He suspected that among those who ran "the British war machine" there were probably tensions and differences of opinion but "those who use the minimalist approach have succeeded".
Recalling the words of F.W. de Klerk, who said a peace process should be played "like a one-day game of cricket", Mr Adams said there needed to be greater "urgency, application, almost a revolution". He said the last Dublin administration under Mr Bruton had given the file of new evidence on Bloody Sunday to London. "They still have not made their mind up."
There had been little progress on the equality agenda either. "The Irish language is an issue where the British can easily implement measures which give recognition in a real way especially in the area of Irish language education, whose existence is not even acknowledged."
He continued: "There are two major concerns for republicans: one is, whether the British government has the will to bring about the fundamental changes that are necessary or will the unionists win out; secondly, there is real concern that on the range of issues on the ground there has not been sufficient progress." He added: "Mr Blair has to assert his leadership."
Mr Adams was dismissive of the notion that the UUP had to be insulated from the challenge by other unionist parties. "They are big boys," he said. There had to be change and this was not going to come from the UUP. "The engine for change has to be the British and Irish governments." Mr Bruton said there had been "a number of very hopeful signs" since the bilateral phase of the talks began two weeks ago, but he warned political leaders against having "too many meetings" outside the context of the talks.
"Fine Gael will be strongly supportive of the Irish Government and all the other participants in the coming weeks in moving rapidly to seek a basis for a settlement. The matter is urgent now. The deadline of May is not far away.
"All three strands of the talks are important and no one strand should be allowed to predominate over any other strand. It would be wrong if, for example, an attempt were made to bury all-Ireland institutions in the context of a wider British-Irish institution.
"Equally, it would be wrong to ignore the very substantial opportunities that exist for east-west co-operation and political development, or the need to reach agreement on matters internal to Northern Ireland."
In Strand Two, Fine Gael was looking for an all-Ireland institution or institutions which would have "a real and useful job to do". Setting up institutions which were "just optical" would be unfair to both communities.
On proposals for a British-Irish council, he said: "We should recognise that a productive context of east-west co-operation makes North-South joint action much easier to realise in a practical way, without threat to the identity of anyone."
Mr Bruton concluded: "There must be progress before Christmas. I welcome the talks between the Taoiseach and some of the parties in Dublin, but it is important that too many meetings should not be arranged outside the context of the Belfast talks in the next few weeks which might distract from the need to get down to business in Belfast itself.
"Outside opportunities might generate more short-term publicity than the hard slog of negotiations in Stormont's Castle Buildings, but for the next three weeks the talks in Stormont should be the priority for everybody."
Mr Bruton's schedule included a meeting with the North's Agriculture Minister, Lord Dubs, and visits to Newry and Mourne District Council and Greenmount Agricultural College in Antrim town.