THE Church of Ireland Gazette has warned of the dangers of placing too many preconditions to all party talks. It also counsels against the Ulster Unionist Party propping up Mr John Major's beleaguered Conservative government.
In a trenchantly political editorial, the paper further supports the proposal for a new interim assembly and challenges the SDLP and Sinn Fein to fully explain why they oppose such a forum.
The Gazette magazine says it is important to acknowledge that, while blame for the current political impasse is not equal, "all the parties have some share in it". It says "Mistakes have been made on all sides in handling the fragile chance of securing a just and stable peace.
It goes on to implicitly suggest that the decommissioning issue need not be a block to talks.
"Too little attention has been paid to the fact that there is nothing mandatory about what happens when the parties get to the negotiating table. Once there, they may not agree even if they do, the electorate has the "final say," the editorial says.
"In these circumstances, too much emphasis may have been given to the conditions under which talks begin. New barriers have been erected from which it is difficult to retreat."
The editorial warns that the UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, would be ill advised to view Mr Major's current difficulty as his party's opportunity.
"Propping up the current regime, which has a bad track record for the personal probity of many of its former ministers, and is riven with irreconcilable political differences, would almost certainly be bad politics at a time when it would be better to build, bridges to the Labour government which is likely to succeed it."
The Gazette also says that "sensible proposals" such as the unionist call for a new assembly have been allowed to languish. Such a forum would ensure that political party mandates were up to date and allow a situation where "unionists would be prepared to talk directly with Sinn Fein without further delay".
It adds "For reasons which are not fully clear this proposal was rejected out of hand by the SDLR and Sinn Fein. Were they afraid of renewing their mandates?
"The argument's that the assembly would pre empt discussion on further relationships, restore the old Stormont, or allow the unionists to prevaricate endlessly were met by the precondition that it, would exist for a specified length of time, have legislative function and deal only With the peace agenda.
"There have been signs that the Government in Dublin has begun to see the force of the proposal."
The editorial concludes with a warning "What is certain is that" no one will gain if events lead remorselessly back into the same old infertile ruts which mean more death and destruction. The current state of uncertainty at Westminster must not be used for political games which prolong it.
"If there is an opportunity of improving the likelihood of a durable peace, that is another matter. But this is not a moment for irresponsible or ill considered actions."
