SINN FEIN'S initial dismissal of the British governments election proposals indicates that there is little likelihood at present of its leadership calling on the IRA to reinstate the ceasefire.
The Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, last night said that the British government wanted to see Sinn Fein involved in the election and the subsequent negotiations, but the IRA ceasefire would have to restored first.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, said that the election proposal would "make the rebuilding of a peace process in which people can have confidence even more difficult".
Describing a new assembly as "anathema to nationalists", he gave no indication whether Sinn, Fein would contest the May 30th, election.
Mr Adams accused the British government of conforming to a "blatantly unionist agenda designed to prevent rather than enable a negotiated and lasting settlement. This has been clearly demonstrated in the declared opposition of the SDLP and of Sinn Fein to such a proposal. There will be no return to Stormont, there can, be no internal settlement".
Sinn Fein, however, remained committed to its "peace strategy", he added.
Mr Martin McGuinness, a member of Sinn Fein's ardchomhairle, said that his party and the SDLP should now get together to decide on a strategic response to the election proposal.
The issue is expected to be debated at this weekend's Sinn Fein ardfheis. It would be up to the party leadership to decide whether to contest the election said Mr McGuinness.
Reaction to the British proposals was generally along expected lines. Nationalists accused the British of playing to a unionist agenda, while unionists with misgivings, expressed a willingness to engage fully in the election.
The SDLP is still signalling a possible boycott of the elected forum, although it has stopped short of saying that it might boycott the election.
The two main unionist parties expressed varying degrees of unease with the "hybrid" method of election. But they were pleased that there was now a date for an election and that there would bed an elected body to meet in parallel with the all party negotiations due to start on June 10th.
Mr Mark Durkan, a former chairman of the SDLP, said last night that his party "would boycott an elected forum" while not necessarily excluding itself from the election.
Mr Seamus Mallon, the party's deputy leader, was more restrained. While his SDLP opposition to the election, he said that the party would consider the British government's" proposals "in their totality" before making a definitive response.
He added that the SDLP was still committed to joint referendums, north and south of the Border, seeking an all Ireland commitment to peace and democratic politics, despite the fact that there had been no definitive proposal on referendums in Mr John Major's House of Commons address.
Mr David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist Party leader, was glad that there was going to be an election and a forum from which the negotiations "would then develop". The format for the election seemed very complicated, however. "We will look at the details and try to make them workable", he said.
He expected his party to be represented in the forum and at the negotiations, but the first issue on the agenda for all party talks would have to be decommissioning. Negotiations would not proceed until that had been dealt with.
Mr Peter Robinson, the deputy leader of the DUP, said that his party wanted to be at the negotiations, but it would not negotiate directly with Sinn Fein.
Dr John Alderdice the Alliance Party leader, said that he was dissatisfied with the electoral system. However, there was now an opportunity for the people of Northern Ireland to have their say democratically.
He hoped that the SDLP would be prepared to play its part in the Northern forum, just as the Alliance Party and some independent minded unionists had participated in the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation. He agreed with Mr Major that there was no excuse four the IRA not restoring its ceasefire.
Mr David Ervine, of the loyalist Progressive Unionist Party, (PUP), said that the British government was bending over backwards to make the election as all inclusive as possible. The proposals would benefit smaller parties such as the PUP and the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP).
