DIALOGUE was the key which could move the situation forward, the Sinn Fein ardchomhairle member Mr Martin McGuinness told a press conference in Belfast yesterday.
"I personally was very deeply affected by the comments and the courage of Stephen Restorick's father when, within hours of his son being killed in Bessbrook, he stated quite clearly and coherently that he believed the only way forward was for all of the political parties to sit down - and he included Sinn Fein in that - at the negotiating table," Mr McGuinness said. "People like John Major, David Trimble and Ian Paisley would do well to heed those words," he added.
Asked about the motive for the killing of the British soldier at Bessbrook, a killing which has been widely attributed to the IRA, Mr McGuinness replied: "I can't speak for the IRA and there isn't any real point in me speculating as to what the IRA are trying to achieve by the actions which they're, involved in at the moment." From his own point of view, "all injustice, continual conflict and death in Ireland" were "completely unacceptable".
The Framework Document had not been advocated or pushed forward by either of the two governments since its publication two years ago. "I see the content of that document, implicitly, as the first public acknowledgment by any British government since the foundation of the Northern state that the partition of Ireland has been a dismal failure."
On the role of the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, he said: "There are many people in the nationalist community - right across the broad spectrum of nationalists - in the North of Ireland who are less than happy with Mr Bruton's stewardship of his end of the peace process and he has to recognise that the only way forward in relation to the resolution of this conflict is by increasing and, not decreasing the dialogue.
Despite the refusal of the Northern Ireland Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, to authorise contacts with Sinn Fein, Mr McGuinness said in a prepared statement he believed every effort should be made to break the current political deadlock over the next few weeks".
He continued: "The comments at the weekend by Patrick Mayhew in relation to contacts with Sinn Fein and to the relatives of those killed on Bloody Sunday were arrogant and high handed."
"The situation is not entirely hopeless," Mr McGuinness said, "and I would remind Mr Major that in March 1993, within 48 hours of a bomb explosion which killed two English schoolchildren, I was personally involved in discussions with an emissary of the British government. Unfortunately, this came to nothing because of John Major's refusal to pursue this dialogue.
"However the point is that, back then, contact was authorised. The will that existed to do this is now required. Mr Major must recognise the urgency of the situation. He must also recognise that dialogue is the key which can move the situation forward."
Meanwhile, the SDLP candidate in West Tyrone, Mr Joe Byrne, said in a statement that the nationalist people in Border areas were becoming very alarmed and deeply worried that Border roads could be closed off again because of republican violence.
"I believe that the current republican policy suits the interests of unionists much more than the interests of nationalists," Mr Byrne said.