The next British government should stop "prevaricating" by removing its support for the unionist "no to everything" mentality, the senior Sinn Fein representative, Mr Gerry Kelly, told an Easter commemoration rally in Dublin. Mr Kelly called on Tony Blair, Paddy Ashdown and John Major to "leave behind the futile military mindset of trying to defeat republicans" by starting "real, inclusive negotiations" that might promise peace. He accused the British and unionists of obstructing the path to peace.
"It started off with an absurd quarantine period, then decommissioning, then only political contact with civil servants, then limited political contact with politicians, then lock out from the entire talks process." Mr Kelly said he best way to guarantee the removal of unionist misrepresentation was to vote for Sinn Fein in the forthcoming British elections, especially in constituencies where Sinn Fein was stronger than the SDLP.