SDLP leader Mark Durkan has claimed that Sinn Féin engaged in a "calculated trade-off" to allow IRA fugitives to come home without fear of going to prison in return for the same reprieve being extended to British security forces' "killers".
Mr Durkan made his claim after he led a party delegation in talks about restoring devolution with Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern and Northern Secretary Peter Hain at Hillsborough Castle yesterday.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has insisted Sinn Féin opposed the recently added element of the "on the runs" legislation currently and controversially making its way through the British parliament.
Mr Durkan, however, repeated his allegation that extending the legislation to the British security forces was a "calculated trade-off" to allow IRA "on the runs" to return to Northern Ireland.
"This is the result of a squalid sort of deal by people who have interests in common about covering up the past. This legislation is designed to deny victims justice," he said at Hillsborough.
"Gerry Adams claimed that Sinn Féin did not know that this legislation was going to extend to killers and other criminal people inside crown forces. Gerry Adams did know. Sinn Féin knew. Martin McGuinness's comments on Hearts and Minds proved that Sinn Féin knew," he added.
He was referring to BBC Northern Ireland's Hearts and Minds programme of November 10th, where Mr McGuinness said he never believed that police officers or British soldiers involved in crime would be brought before the courts.
The SDLP claimed it was implicit in Mr McGuinness's remarks that Sinn Féin knew that the British security forces as well as the paramilitaries would be embraced within the "on the runs" legislation.
Mr Durkan was dismissive of Mr Adams's opposition to this new element of the legislation. "If Gerry Adams is serious about his objections to these aspects of the Bill he will join all the other Northern Ireland parties in asking the British government to withdraw this Bill," he said.
When asked several times at Hillsborough Castle yesterday who was correct - Mr Durkan or Mr Adams - Mr Hain refused to comment. "I am not getting into what one politician said about another politician," he said.
A senior British source, however, said that the decision to include in the Bill the security forces allegedly guilty of crimes was only made in the past four to six weeks, and he did not believe Sinn Féin was aware that this was happening. Sinn Féin has insisted it was not aware of this aspect of the legislation.
Mr Hain and Mr Ahern also met the Ulster Unionist Party and Alliance at Hillsborough Castle yesterday, while they met Sinn Féin and the Progressive Unionist Party over a week ago.
Further meetings between Mr Ahern and Mr Hain are expected before Christmas.
On December 9th Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British prime minister Tony Blair are due to meet to assess the prospects of hammering out a deal to restore devolution in 2006.
The DUP has refused to attend these meetings with the Irish and British ministers, arguing that the governments are already aware of their position.
At their meeting yesterday Mr Ahern and Mr Hain announced their commitment to work together to foster economic growth in the Derry and Donegal area.
