THE Taoiseach has expressed disappointment at the rate of progress in the multi party talks and said the most immediate task is to "shepherd" them through the interval for the British general election.
Addressing the 13th plenary session of the British Irish Interparliamentary Body at Dublin Castle yesterday, Mr Bruton said that when the talks resumed, it would be important that "significant progress is made within a finite period in order to steer negotiations through to success as speedily as possible".
A timeframe and calendar agreed among the participants for the conduct of negotiations would be a sensible and worthwhile way of achieving this.
While the Government understood the fears that underlay concerns about decommissioning of illegally held weapons, an " exclusive focus" on the issue could not be allowed to block for much longer the start of substantive negotiations.
In short, my Government are strongly of the view that substantive negotiations must commence very soon after the resumption of the talks.
"It is our hope that the participants generally, with electoral concerns behind them, and using the existing agreed rules of procedure, will be able to agree on a basis for overcoming the current impasse on the issue of decommissioning soon after the resumption of the talks," he added.
The two governments must jointly and in all circumstances, continue to offer the leadership necessary to overcome obstacles and to reach a comprehensive accommodation founded on consent, which is sought by great majorities in both islands.
While it was disappointing that the talks had not yet reached the point of opening substantive negotiations on the three strands, "worthwhile progress" had been made since June 10th.
Agreement had been reached on an independent chairman and on rules of procedure to cover the conduct of negotiations.
There was also agreement on the agenda or the reminder of the opening plenary and "an apparently wide measure" of accord existed among participants on issues needing to be addressed in substantive talks.
The handling of decommissioning, however, remained unresolved, "despite considerable efforts to date and specific proposals from the two governments".
Any realistic resolution to the impasse must be anchored in the principles and recommendations of the Mitchell report, he said.
"Speedy progress was never likely. But even so, the rate of progress has been slow. The Irish and British governments have a key role to play in enhancing confidence in the process we have responsibilities to give pro-active leadership in the talks at appropriate junctures," Mr Bruton said.
He used the word "leadership" advisedly because any notion that agreement could be imposed, without widespread support across the political divide in Northern Ireland, was fanciful.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein was not at the talks because of the IRA's return to violence. This situation would remain unless the ceasefire was unequivocally, believably and genuinely restored" but the "arrangements" remained open to them.
"Only the republican movement can correct its self imposed exclusion ... I would, however, make the point that if the republican movement, by its own actions, continue to exclude Sinn Fein participation in negotiations, my Government will not be deflected from the aim of reaching agreement in the multi party talks. We will not be deterred in any way.