THE British Prime Minister has accused the IRA of a "deliberate attempt to place obstacles in the way of peace" and said there will be no further contact between his officials and Sinn Fein "in these circumstances".
Speaking in Amsterdam last night, Mr Blair called on Mr Gerry Adams to condemn outright the killings "with no hesitation and no weasel words".
He said there was "obviously no question of a further meeting with Sinn Fein in these circumstances". While not outlining how the British government would now proceed, he said: "We will not be deflected from our efforts to achieve peace and a lasting settlement.
He described the killings as "an absolutely appalling act of brutality, a totally callous murder . . . It is difficult to see it as anything other than a deliberate attempt to prevent the peace process from working. It is a sign that there are people who are prepared deliberately to frustrate this process.
"This appalling terrorist attack has been claimed by the Provisional IRA. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein talks peace and has suggested a new ceasefire may be possible.
"Both governments had resumed contact with them at official level on this basis. Their cynicism and hypocrisy are sickening. Their actions defy normal understanding.
"It is difficult to interpret this latest attack as anything but a signal that Sinn Fein and the IRA are not interested in peace and democracy and prefer violence."
He said the killings were another reminder "of the terrible risks involved in policing Northern Ireland . . . The terrorists can achieve nothing through their violence but alienation and despair and they deserve nothing but condemnation."