SINN Fein ardchomhairle member Mr Martin McGuinness has said his party is "absolutely committed" to the search for peace in the run-up to the British general election and beyond.
However, he said he did not hold out much hope for a renewed IRA ceasefire before Christmas. He said the onus lay on the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, to allow Sinn Fein into multiparty talks.
Mr McGuinness said his party remained committed to the search for a political settlement. "We're not going to give up our peace strategy," he said in an interview with GMTV yesterday.
"We are absolutely committed to the search for peace in Ireland. We are going to continue to place all of that before this British government in the last few remaining weeks of its term - and indeed before the next government elected by the British people."
Meanwhile, the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, accused Mr Major of a lack of interest in the peace process and urged him to call an election.
Mr Adams said a new government was urgently needed to facilitate political progress. "I think Mr Major has shown he has no interest, that he doesn't want to talk to Sinn Fein," he said. "Mr Major is more interested in the arithmetic at Westminster than facing up to the challenges of an inclusive process." He was speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics.