THE Taoiseach dismissed speculation that the Irish and British governments are to postpone the Northern talks.

"No consideration for postponing the talks is being considered," Mr Bruton said in reply to the PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, who asked about a suggestion that the talks were to be suspended for an indefinite period.

The Taoiseach said the Governments believed they had an ongoing responsibility to inject momentum into the talks, and they had done that regarding the decommissioning proposal.

Pressed on the matter by the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, the Taoiseach said the Governments had tabled proposals, on an agreed basis on decommissioning to break the deadlock. Unfortunately, the unionists had disagreed with them.

The Taoiseach agreed with M Harney that it was "a perversion of logic" for Sinn Fein to blame, the unionists for Monday's bomb, attack in Lisburn and that it would make it more difficult, to resolve the decommissioning issue.

"At the same time, it is also, the case that the attitude of the unionists has not been as forthcoming as it might have been," said the Taoiseach. While understanding their reservations and concerns, they lived in the real world. "In the real world, the important thing to recognise is that decommissioning will only occur voluntarily."

The approach of the unionists had tended to be somewhat myopic, focusing on the need for decommissioning but not focusing on the conditions that were necessary for it to occur in the real world, the Taoiseach added.

Mr Bruton said that the talks process was difficult. And they all knew from the outset that an inclusive, as distinct from a narrowly focused, talks process was going to be inherently difficult. They should not pretend that because the talks had not found agreement they were the wrong way forward.

Asked by Mr Ahern if he would have a full summit with Mr Major, the Taoiseach said that he had been in intense discussions with the British Prime Minister speaking to him at some length twice in the past week.

"There are ongoing and very intense exchanges at the moment between our two administrations following on those conservation," he said. "If either he or I is of a mind that a direct special summit between us would be helpful, there would not be any difficulty organising it, nor do I think there would be any unwillingness n the part of either partner to organise it."

But it was important, the Taoiseach added, that the preparatory work be done fully before such a meeting and, as far as possible, to get others to come together of their own accord without that being necessary.

He said that he had agreed with the Prime Minister on Saturday that they were going to renew their efforts to make the talks work and build on the joint approach they had towards them. "In truth, the violence we saw in Lisburn is a return to a form of political action that led this country into apalling suffering over many years.

Mr Ahern said that, effectively, no progress was being made in the talks, adding that while the process was not dead there was not much life in it.

Earlier, the Lisburn bomb attack was strongly condemned by the House. Mr Ahern said it pushed back everything members of the House were endeavouring to work for. Describing the bomb attack as an outrage, the Taoiseach said it coincided with a meeting between one of the loyalist political parties and prisoners associated with them. Some of the individuals injured would probably be in great pain for the rest of their lives. Some of their families would be traumatised. "These are the casualties of politics pursued by violent means."

Mr Bruton said that that violence was "severed limbs, destroyed minds, people who will never walk on the street again with any sense of self assurance for fear there would be a repetition of what happened in Lisburn yesterday.