THE British government and Sinn Fein were locked in a war of words last night as hopes receded for a new IRA ceasefire.
The British government last night repeated "there has never been any question of negotiating a new position" on the terms for Sinn Fein's entry into talks.
Confirming that the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, had already replied to proposals from Mr John Hume - as reported in yesterday's Irish Times - a Downing Street statement said the government remained ready to restate its position publicly.
But Downing Street's continuing refusal to say when publication would take place encouraged hopes that Mr Major was open to further representations from Mr Hume and the Government.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, would neither admit nor deny he has seen Mr Major's written response to Mr Hume. But he said - speaking some hours before the Downing Street statement was issued - that all the signs were the British were not going to respond in an adequate or clear way to the propositions.
Mr Adams said in response to questions: "I don't see any evidence to suggest that the IRA are considering any unilateral cessation.
Speaking in west Belfast he said the British government appeared to be poised to reject the Hume proposals, "and to actually raise the bar on Sinn Fein's entry into talks."
One Government source insisted the door was not yet closed on a possible reinstatement of the IRA ceasefire. Referring to the ongoing discussions between London and Dublin, the source said the issue "is whether or not, when the statement comes, it is a unilateral British statement."
Dublin would obviously not wish to be associated with a statement of policy and terms which it deemed insufficient to secure a second ceasefire. But one major difficulty in pressing for further concessions is that the Ulster Unionists have now been advised of the precise and full terms of Mr Major's reply to Mr Hume last weekend.
Senior unionist sources last night remained confident that Mr Major would stipulate that "the words, actions and circumstances" of a new ceasefire "would need to be consistent" and that time would be needed to test rhetoric against activity before Sinn Fein's admission to talks.
Following Mr Adams's prediction that Mr Major was set to, reject the latest Hume-Adams proposals, Downing Street said: "It is not a question of acceptance or rejection. We have set out to John Hume in clear and positive terms our policy, including the basis on which Sinn Fein could join talks. We have made clear we are ready to do so publicly."
The statement continued: "In setting this out to John Hume, we have reasserted the existing policy of the British government. There has never been any question of negotiating a new position."
Earlier in the House of Commons, Mr Major carried the challenge to Sinn Fein: "If republicans are committed to peace as they say they are, let them call a cease-fire now, and make it a credible ceasefire.
In Dublin, Government sources insisted that Mr Major's response to the Hume-Adams proposals for a new IRA ceasefire, coupled with last night's statement, amounted to a holding operation.
"This is not the end game. It is not the definitive British response, one key source said.
The important line in the Downing Street statement, according to the Government, was that it was not a question of "acceptance or rejection".
Acknowledging that there was "disagreement" as to what would constitute an acceptable way for Sinn Fein into the talks, officials still believed there was a "bridgeable gap" between the sides.
The Tanaiste, Mr Spring, said last night he could understand the British government restating its position in line with the Mitchell principles. "The ground rules for Sinn Fein to come into the talks are there," he said.
He did not regard the latest statements in a pessimistic way and said the Government would continue its efforts to bridge the gaps.
Mr Adams insisted yesterday, that the propositions drawn up by himself and Mr Hume, and communicated to Mr Major by the SDLP leader, "were reasonable, made common sense and would mean republicans having to go a long distance.
He called on Mr Major to deal with the proposals in a fair and adequate way.
He said: "Everyone knows that negotiations must underpin change. That is why the unionists are afraid of negotiations - because they are afraid of change.
The Fianna Fail leader, Mr Ahern, in a statement last night, said: "The present negative British attitude to John Hume's peace initiative is completely unacceptable to the Irish people.
He added: "Unionists have no right to be given by any Government a political veto over the presence in talks of those who have been freely chosen by a substantial section of the nationalist population to represent them".