THE Alliance Party leader, Dr John Alderdice, urged strongly yesterday that there must be a commitment on all sides to enter full scale negotiations within two weeks of any elections in the North.
Dr Alderdice insisted that unionists must commit themselves to this. "I have no interest in going into elections if people simply want to use them as a delaying tactic," he said.
"I'm interested in an election if it gets us to all party talks and by that I mean negotiations I don't mean sitting around endlessly. If we have an election I want us to be in there, talking turkey, within two weeks."
He said he had told the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major that he would support his proposal for an election if he would make it a requirement that all parties commit themselves to enter "serious negotiating mode" within two weeks of that election.
Dr Alderdice added "There is no point in expecting nationalists to commit themselves to (elections) if they think it is going to be an endless re run of previously inconclusive talks.
"Nationalists are concerned that, after all the trouble of an election, unionists might likely stall further on getting to the real meat of the negotiations, and some comments by unionist politicians, have strengthened their fears.
He said the other track of the process would also have to be brought along. All parties to the negotiations would have to sign up to the Mitchell Report and that meant a commitment to decommissioning and to a successful outcome of the talks being accepted by everybody.
The Sinn Fein vice president, Mr Pat Doherty, yesterday expressed disappointment at the decision to postpone all sessions of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation until March 15th.
He said his party had advocated that the forum and its committees should continue to sit in order to assist the process of dialogue.
Sinn Fein indicated last night arrangements are still being made for a meeting with Government officials. Meanwhile, the party's president, Mr Gerry Adams, is expected to make a keynote speech in Belfast this evening.