SINN Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, said he presumes the British and Irish governments will in the coming weeks have to "work out how they remove decommissioning as a blockage" to all party negotiations.
"If I may say so, the Irish Government, in spite of what the Taoiseach has said, must be concerned that they don't end up at Stormont on June 10th as part of a decommissioning conference. It is a common concern. It should not be just reduced to the IRA," Mr Adams said.
In a mixed reaction yesterday to the British prime minister's article on all party talks, Mr Adams said that while there are "good things" in Mr Major's article, he had ignored most, or fudged some, of the issues addressed in the Taoiseach's recent "Finglas speech" the Tanaiste's very pertinent remarks" on decommissioning.
Mr Major had certainly moved "in his rhetoric" and this could be built upon.
In spite of Mr Adams's assertion that he will not go to the IRA "on the back" of the publication of Mr Major's article - "the IRA are literate and can read for themselves", he said he wants to see how it will "help to restore the entire peace process".
"I am not going to enter speculation about whether the IRA are going to respond or in what way they are going to respond.
But, there was "no point in me going to the IRA, or anyone else for that matter, unless I am sure I am going to get a positive result".
Speaking to journalists in Dublin, Mr Adams said, however, he agreed with Mr Major on the matter of decommissioning not being allowed to block the negotiations. This was the most important part of what he had written so "let's see if we can build on what he has said".
"We need to ensure that decommissioning is not a blockage. He needs to tell us and everyone else, and not just me as an Irish republican but also Mr Bruton on how he is gong to prevent it being a blockage.
Unionists were making a fuss out of decommissioning in an attempt to prevent or minimise change, he said. From their point of view, it made tactical sense but did nothing for peace making.
Responding to Mr Bruton's suggestion in the Dail yesterday that Mr Major's article be taken as a package with his own Finglas speech, Mr Adams said he had already done this. He indicated that Mr Major's statement compared badly to that of the Taoiseach who had made "almost 40 sensible, definite commitments, some of which I might not agree with but that doesn't matter".
"He deals with constitutional matters, which Mr Major doesn't deal with. He deals with political matters which Mr Major doesn't deal with. He deals with a whole range of the framework document which Mr Major doesn't even mention. He deals with the breadth of the Irish Government's intentions," he added.
The Tanaiste, in his speech dealing with decommissioning, had asked for clarity and had pointed out "a very specific way in which he thought the issue could be resolved". Having said all that, he added, he "understood Mr Major's problems" and wished to be constructive and positive.
"I do welcome the positive parts of his speech. I do want to come to it in a constructive way but he has to move beyond the aspirational."
Asked what more he wanted, Mr Adams said that, irrespective of what happened, Sinn Fein would be "up there on June 10th".
"All I want is the opportunity to go in there on an open agenda and to argue my ease with all of the other parties with the intention of getting agreement. . . In the first instance, the British government needs to play a leadership role in proper talks which deal with constitutional issues, political issues and issues of democratic rights as well as the broad breadth of issues of demilitarisation," Mr Adams said.
Asked what Sinn Fein wanted the British government to do to break the logjam, Mr Adams said that what everyone on the island required was all party talks which include everyone. Every single issue should be on the table.
"We are not putting up one precondition and we are not accepting one precondition," he added.