THE British government has not ruled out further meetings with Sinn Fein despite the IRA's planting a 1,000 lb bomb in Belfast at the weekend. This was made clear last night after remarks by the North's Security Minister, Mr Adam Ingram, appeared to raise a question mark over the discussions between British officials and Sinn Fein initiated by the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair.
In the House of Commons last night the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, told MPs that the Poleglass bomb represented "a very serious incident". No further meetings were scheduled with Sinn Fein, she said, but "we will keep the situation under review".
With the interparty talks process set to resume this morning at Stormont, a leading Ulster Unionist has repeated his party's demands for progress on decommissioning as the price of Sinn Fein's inclusion in future negotiations.
Mr Ken Maginnis said: "As far as I am concerned, the whole psychology of decommissioning is something we cannot drop. There is nothing as far as the attitude of Sinn Fein or the IRA is concerned which suggests any commitment to the democratic process.
Mr Maginnis was speaking just hours after the talks chairman, former Senator George Mitchell, emerged from discussions at 10 Downing Street with Mr Blair declaring his belief "that there now exists an opportunity to move forward in the peace process in Northern Ireland". With the Stormont talks set to proceed without Sinn Fein, attention remains focused on those discussions with officials representing Mr Blair's promised "one further effort" to secure an "inclusive" process.
Asked about the possible implications of the IRA action for future meetings, Mr Ingram said: "I think it is becoming clear that this incident at the weekend was targeted at the security forces and that has got to be totally condemned. There can be no justification for that whatsoever.
"So far as the full analysis of what's happened and how it then impacts on events over the coming period, that is currently being analysed at the moment.
Asked if that meant there would be more meetings with Sinn Fein, Mr Ingram said: "What I'm saying is that's being analysed at the moment. That's something which has to be looked at in the round."
Pressed as to whether the IRA action had any certain implications, Mr Ingram said: "These things have to be assessed and we are still assessing the impact of this. We are still looking at the full information coming forward as to what the IRA are saying about it, what Sinn Fein are saying about it and, of course, our own security assessment of it."
Following initial reports, a Northern Ireland Office spokesman said "he's certainly not saying there will be no further meetings". The spokesman said there was "always a question mark" over discussions with officials, given Mr Blair's stipulation that they could proceed "provided events on the ground ... do not make that impossible". He added: "There is no agreement that we will meet regardless of the circumstances on the ground ... that's not new.