Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams today hit out at what he called the "anti-Sinn Féin rhetoric" of some establishment parties in the Republic.
Speaking in Dublin this afternoon, Mr Adams claimed the verbal attacks on his party in recent days signaled the fear with which the rise of Sinn Féin is held in some quarters. He also said it was the surest sign yet that a general election campaign was underway.
On Tuesday, the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, said Sinn Féin was not fit to serve in government because of its association with a "private army". And last week, the Taoiseach Mr Bertie Ahern said any participation in government by Sinn Féin's would "not be tenable" because of the continued existence of the IRA.
Mr Adams called the comments "subversive". He said: "It was tantamount to saying that one person’s vote was less valid than another."
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Mr Gerry Adams
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He also rejected assertions that Sinn Féin had a private army or was linked to vigilantism. "The election campaign must focus on the real issues such as the unequal spread of wealth, housing and neutrality," he said.
However, he failed to rule out the possibility of a coalition with Fianna Fáil. He said his party would only enter coalition on the basis of policies that aimed at correcting "the core flaws in this society" and which were consistent with Irish unity and independence.
Mr Adams dismissed the notion that there had been a shift in US policy towards Sinn Féin following his recent trip to Cuba and the arrest three alleged IRA members in Columbia.
He said he was due to meet President Bush's special adviser on Northern Ireland Mr Richard Haass next week, with whom he enjoyed good relations. He said there was substantial agreement on the need to manage the peace process and avoid distraction.
