N. Ireland Talks Hampered by No-Shows, Gate-Crasher

Anglo-Irish hopes for Dayton-style political talks opening the way toward peace in Northern Ireland ran aground at the negotiations’ debut Monday when key Protestant politicians did not show up and a gate-crashing Gerry Adams, leader of the IRA’s political wing, was turned away.

Another 10 days of meetings are planned. But unless the Irish Republican Army declares a new cease-fire, Adams and his Sinn Fein party will be denied full participation. In that case, British and Irish analysts see dim prospects for a negotiated end to 25 years of sectarian violence.

The two largest parties representing Northern Ireland’s majority Protestants--most of whom back continued political union with Britain--boycotted Monday’s meeting in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. They were miffed at the presence of Dick Spring, Ireland’s foreign minister, alongside a British minister. The officials are presiding over what are billed as “intensive consultations” for Northern Irish elections designed as an overture to peace talks set to begin June 10.

“Elections are not relevant to the southern Irish government. It is an internal matter,” said right-wing unionist leader Ian Paisley, a conspicuous no-show.

Adams, the head of a 10-member Sinn Fein delegation, made a token, for-the-cameras attempt to enter the building where the ministers conferred but was turned away, as he knew he would be.

“We are being denied the right to talk about peace,” protested Adams, whose role as political spokesman for his group has been gravely undermined by renewed violence and the IRA’s refusal to announce a new cease-fire.

Britain and Ireland say they will not meet Sinn Fein at a ministerial level nor offer a seat at the negotiating table until the IRA restores a cease-fire broken after 17 months by London bombings in February. Sinn Fein gets about 10% of the vote in Northern Ireland.

London and Dublin set dates for the election and the opening of peace talks at a summit of their prime ministers here last week. John Bruton of Ireland had hoped that meetings this week and next about elections could become a local version of the “proximity talks” that helped break the Bosnian deadlock through diplomatic shuttling between bitter foes.

Clandestine leaders of the IRA, which seeks union of Northern Ireland with the Irish Republic, have refused a new cease-fire, telling Adams they are “totally skeptical and distrustful” of the British government’s intentions.

Despite the talks’ rocky start, Britain’s Northern Ireland secretary, Patrick Mayhew, found “very sensible grounds for being hopeful” and said he and Spring will be meeting about election ideas with all parties except Sinn Fein in coming days.

“After long years of experience, I think it was an entirely predictable start, but we have had inauspicious starts before,” Mayhew said.