IF THE British government is serious about an election as a means to achieve all party talks, then it should be held within a month. Otherwise it is just another British delaying tactic, Senator Christopher Dodd said in an interview yesterday.
If the election was "a legitimate device to provide some cover for unionist politicians to go to the table", and if it did not undermine the Mitchell proposals, then "I'm willing to listen to that," said Senator Dodd.
"If in a few weeks they are still discussing it, then we'll see it for what it is."
His comments come as the White House and Congress are being lobbied by both sides in the aftermath of the Mitchell report.
The Sinn Fein leader, Mr Gerry Adams, will meet US officials and Congress members today, and the NI Minister for Political Development, Mr Michael Ancram, briefed White House officials and Senators Dodd and Edward Kennedy on Tuesday.
The British ambassador, Sir John Kerr, and other British officials have high hopes that the President's key National Security Council officials on Northern Ireland, Mr Anthony Lake, Ms Nancy Soderberg and Ms Mary Ann Peters, will nudge Mr Adams towards elections at today's meeting.
"I am concerned about the election approach," said Senator Dodd, who is chairman of the Democratic Party and helped persuade the President to allow Mr Adams to raise funds in the US last March when NSC officials were opposed.
"I could be disproved in that. The big question is: is this a dilatory tactic? Is this an attempt to divert attention and avoid what everyone knows has to happen? This can only be answered by Mr Major."
He said he believed the British government had mishandled the election proposal, and "the ball clearly is in the Prime Minister's court".
The Irish Ambassador, Mr Dermot Gallagher, yesterday had an hour long meeting with Mr Lake to express Irish Government concerns about the situation.