THE British Prime Minister, Mr Major, last night rejected "false perceptions" that led to pessimism about the peace process in the North, and said that progress was being made, though not as fast as I would wish".
Echoing some of the upbeat attitude of the Taoiseach in Washington earlier this month, Mr Major's message was of a "quite significant" improvement of the political atmosphere in the North in the last few months
Many of the hurdles which had been thought insuperable had been passed, including the election, the setting up of the forum and acceptance of the Mitchell principles.
Mr Major, who was briefing Irish journalists at Downing Street, said the current situation was like a duck: "Nothing much seems to be happening above the water, but the animal is paddling like hell underneath."
He refused to be drawn on the evidence for his optimism, but said that contacts between unionists and nationalists were helping to promote understanding. Public statements by politicians, however, tended to give the impression that no progress was being made.
The "disaster " at Drumcree in July shook everyone in the North, including the politicians, and while he did not think of the confrontation as a "plus", he did believe that after Drumcree one could see a change in attitudes
On the position of Sinn Fein and the IRA, Mr Major said that the find of explosives and the arrest of suspects in London this week revealed what was already self-evident that the IRA was prepared to carry on violence in Britain on a very large scale. But it was difficult to understand the psychology of the IRA, though he suspected that some members believed they could force the British government into making concessions.
"This is a fundamental misunderstanding," he declared. Violence would have done immense damage to the peace process and destroyed any shred of credibility in Sinn Fein's leadership.
As long as Sinn Fein remained the political wing of the IRA Mr Major said, it had no real role. "If they renounce violence, they are welcome at the table to argue their cause.
The only effect of the Docklands bomb in London last February, which broke the IRA ceasefire, was "to make me dig in my heels more". It did not influence British government policy, and its only consequence was the malign one of postponing rapprochement and proper dialogue.
Asked if he thought that meeting Mr Gerry Adams, who is to visit the House of Commons today, would help to advance peace process, Mr Major there was no basis on which a British Prime Minister could the Sinn Fein leader at the present time. "I don't think it is a suggestion that is very credible at moment."
Did he see a way to a successful outcome of the talks? Mr Major said that he did, but added that his view was not the determining factor. The decisions needed to be taken by the political parties.
However, there was no electoral pressure at the moment: "Our economy is outstripping Europe comfortably..." he said. "I am happy to let the trend roll on for a while."
Geraldine Kennedy, Political Correspondent, writes:
The fact that the IRA was at such an advanced stage in delivering bombs to their targets in London undermined the efforts of all those who had been seeking an IRA ceasefire, the Taoiseach told the Dail yesterday.
Mr Bruton spent most of the first Question Time after the summer recess defending his optimistic statements in Washington recently about the inevitability of an IRA ceasefire.
The Taoiseach said he believed that an IRA ceasefire was inevitable because the principal demands made as a condition for a ceasefire and the pursuit of the peace process had been met.