PRESIDENT Clinton may act as "guarantor" that all party talks will start on an agreed date in the event of British Irish agreement on a political process involving elections before talks, according to US sources.
Mr Clinton telephoned the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, and the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, yesterday to encourage their efforts to restore the peace process.
The National Security Adviser, Mr Anthony Lake, gave a clear indication yesterday of White House confidence that all parties now accept some form of election as the key to involving the unionists in all party talks.
"The question of elections is very much alive. We have been encouraging all the parties to look at elections to see whether that is way forward into talks," he said.
Mr Lake told reporters on Air Force One taking Mr Clinton to California yesterday, after the President spoke to London and Dublin "There are discussions under way as to what kind of elections they might be and how they would then lead forward to talks".
Mr Lake and his deputy, Ms Nancy Soderberg, have been engaged in telephone contacts with all parties, including Sinn Fein, in recent days. They have met strong resistance to the idea of elections from the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, as well as Mr Gerry Adams, sources say, but believe that a compromise form of elections can be worked out.
The President's calls to the two leaders follow separate earlier discussions with Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Representative Peter King of New York about the crisis in the peace process. Both Congress members urged the President to give strong United States backing to a fixed date for all party talks.
Mr King, who has close connections with the Sinn Fein leader, Mr Gerry Adams, told The Irish Tines "I have had discussions with people in Ireland who accept the reality of elections to get to all party talks." He added that a deal which might deliver peace would involve elections, all party talks by a precise date, and a US "guarantee" of the date.
He said that "guaranteeing" the" start of talks meant throwing the", whole weight of the administration behind any date agreed by the British and Irish governments.
In London, Mr Major's officer said the President telephoned Mr Major and "expressed his support for the efforts of both the British, and Irish governments to move forward through elections to all party talks," the Press Association reported.
The Prime Minister briefed the President on recent developments' and they agreed to keep closely in touch, Downing Street said.
Mr King said he found the President confident and upbeat about progress in the peace process and did not think, from his 20 minute telephone conversation, that Mr Clinton intended to refuse a visa to Mr Adams to visit the US in March.
"He told me he intends to stay actively engaged. He is very hopeful of moving this thing forward and will continue to deal with, Sinn Fein," said Mr King, who assured the President that he would do all he could to ensure that Republican Congress members did not oppose any visa issue.
A National Assembly of Irish-American Republicans, which generally supports White House policy on Northern Ireland, has been approved by the Republican National Committee. It was founded by Mr James Carey and Mr Frank Duggan, former operatives in the Reagan and Bush administrations.
Senator Edward Kennedy's discussion with Mr Clinton took place in the White House on Wednesday. An aide of the Democratic senator said that he impressed upon the President the need for a date for all party talks.