THE SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, is to seek clarification from the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, on aspects of yesterday's British government statement which he and the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, have identified as being open to different interpretations.
Mr Hume, who said he had discussed the document with Mr Adams on Wednesday night, expressed anger at its publication yesterday. He said that the decision to publish the document had taken him and Mr Adams by surprise, but the Northern Minister for Political Development, Mr Michael Ancram, said last night that Mr Hume had been told that the British response would be published before the end of the week.
In a statement last night, Mr Adams claimed that Mr Major had rejected the Hume/Adams proposals.
Mr Adams said: "No matter how positively or softly Mr Major's statement is interpreted, there is no doubt it is a rejection of our initiative, which had the support of the Irish Government."
He added: "Downing Street was aware that John Hume and myself were meeting last night. Today's statement was aimed at sabotaging our efforts at rebuilding a real peace process. Once again, narrow party political interests are being put before the question of peace in Ireland. Mr Major has yet to embrace the concept of an inclusive, negotiated peace settlement. It is his refusal to do so which is the main stumbling block at this time."
A senior member of Sinn Fein, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, described the British document as a "stalling device" and said that Mr Major had introduced "a whole new raft of preconditions".
Mr McLaughlin said that, whatever gloss was put on the British document, Mr Major had quite clearly set aside the proposal advanced by Mr Hume and Mr Adams. "As soon as that proposal hit the table, John Major introduced new arguments, new conditions."
Mr Hume said he thought it was still possible to make progress, in spite of "the pressures that this carry on produced today". He said "I think that what happened today was unnecessary and only adds more pressure on all sides."
He had believed that the proposals he had put to Mr Major on October 10th, arising from his contacts with Mr Adams, could have led to an unequivocal restoration of the IRA ceasefire and to a totally peaceful atmosphere for all party talks.
Mr Hume said that he had been given the document last Saturday.
The British statement yesterday had come before he had an opportunity to reply to Mr Major.
On Wednesday night he had had "a very constructive meeting" with Mr Adams in which they had discussed the document. "The discussion with Gerry Adams identified areas that I would go to Mr Major with for clarification, because of the difficulty in certain interpretations", he said.
Mr Hume criticised the "leaks" which had created press speculation about the British response and said that the internal politics of Westminster had been allowed to interfere with the peace process. He suggested that "some people" appeared to be interpreting the British document as creating new preconditions. However, he intended to go back to Mr Major to tell him what had developed in his discussions with Mr Adams.
The SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus, Mallon, after a "cursory and brief reading" of the document, was guardedly positive in his response to Mr Major's statement. He felt that Mr Major's "out of context reference" to the talks adjourning for Christmas was significant and should be explored.