LAST DITCH attempts will be made next week to revive the stalled political talks process in the North, in spite of the setback represented by yesterday's apparent thwarted car bomb attack in Derry, for which responsibility was admitted by the so called IRA Continuity Army Council.
Hundreds of houses and businesses were evacuated for several hours as British army bomb disposal experts dealt with a vehicle packed with up to 600lb of fertiliser explosive outside the Strand Road headquarters of the RUC in Derry. There was no confirmation that the explosive contained a detonating mechanism.
Unionist spokesmen promptly claimed that the incident was further evidence that a new IRA ceasefire could not be trusted. But the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, who said he was "deeply angered" by the apparent attack, insisted that he remains absolutely convinced that an unequivocal cessation can be achieved.
Downing Street last night denied reports that Mr John Major plans to make a statement on the issue next week in the House of Commons. It was also made clear that any such statement would have to have the approval of the British cabinet's Northern Ireland committee. Officials insisted that they knew of no plans for the committee to meet.
However, Mr David Trimble the Ulster Unionist leader, said that he had asked the British government to "put the discussions they've been having with John Hume in the public domain".
Speaking after a meeting with Mr Major at Westminster, Mr Trimble added: "I believe that the government are going to make a statement sooner rather than later - the sooner the better."
There have been persistent reports that the republican movement has indirectly communicated to the British Prime Minister an outline of the circumstances which could prompt an unequivocal ceasefire declaration.
These would include immediate entry of Sinn Fein to the talks on foot of a declaration; a broad time frame to be laid down for the negotiations; and a number of basic confidence building measures to be undertaken with regard to policing, paramilitary prisoners and other issues.
It is understood that no progress was made at Wednesday night's meeting of the Anglo Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Belfast. And there was anxiety in Irish Government circles last night at suggestions that Mr Major was preparing to act unilaterally. The fear is that a definitive statement by Mr Major, without prior agreement, would not have the desired result.
Next Monday's plenary session of the Stormont talks, under the resumed chairmanship of the former US senator, Mr George Mitchell, will provide a crucial test of whether the deadlock on decommissioning can be overcome. Further bilateral discussions between the SDLP and UUP delegations are also scheduled.
The Derry incident, however, has cast further confusion on the delicate process. A caller to local media claimed that the car containing explosives had been planted by the IRA Continuity Army Council, which also admitted responsibility for the bomb which wrecked the Killyhevlin Hotel in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, last July.
The Sinn Fein northern chairman, Mr Gerry O hEara, said that the incident showed the need for urgency in the search for a comprehensive negotiated settlement.
Mr Hume said that the perpetrators were the enemies of the people of Derry "and, indeed, of all the people of Ireland". However, on the basis of his ongoing talks with the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, he was still prepared to put his head "on the line" that an absolutely genuine and total IRA cessation was possible provided inclusive, all party talks were brought about in conjunction with confidence building measures.
The Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, said last night that it was profoundly shocking that a bomb had been planted in Derry. The success of democratic politics in seeking a commonly agreed way forward for both communities in the North could only be assured by dialogue and debate.
"The bomb, the bullet and the ways of violence undermine the patient work of those who are painstakingly trying to piece together a renewed ceasefire and a definitive turning to peaceful methods", Mr Ahern stated.