Sinn Fein 'exclusion considered'

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams was speaking in Dublin

The Irish Government is "actively considering" the exclusion of Sinn Fein from the Northern Ireland political process, according to Gerry Adams.

The Sinn Fein president said in a speech in Dublin on Wednesday that Irish Government ministers were "considering going back to the old agenda, the failed policies and attitudes of the past".

Mr Adams called on supporters of the biggest party in Dublin's coalition government, Fianna Fail, to reassert the "primacy of the peace process".

The latest crisis in the political process follows alleged IRA involvement in the false imprisonment of a dissident republican in Belfast.

Claims by Chief Constable Hugh Orde that Provisional IRA members were behind it have overshadowed the review of the Good Friday Agreement, with UUP leader David Trimble walking out of the talks.

Mr Adams' latest comments came against a backdrop of sharp criticisms of alleged IRA activity from both Irish Justice Minister Michael McDowell and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.

Mr Ahern told the Dail on Wednesday that he believed the recent criticism of Sinn Fein was "sinking in".

Earlier this week, Mr McDowell likened Sinn Fein's relationship with the IRA to that of the Nazis and the Brownshirts.

Mr McDowell said that some senior members of the party were members of the IRA army council.

Mr Durkan led the SDLP delegation at Downing Street

On Tuesday, the Northern Ireland Secretary, Paul Murphy, and the Irish Foreign Minister, Brian Cowen, met at Stormont.

British Government sources said they considered whether the review should be adjourned, but decided against such a move.

Instead, the review will continue and may move on to consider north-south and east-west issues.

The meeting prepared the ground for discussions which will take place between Tony Blair and Mr Ahern in Dublin on Thursday.

They will assess how the review can be moved forward following Mr Trimble's decision to walk out of the talks.

Edited report

Meanwhile, Mr Blair told an SDLP delegation led by Mark Durkan on Wednesday that retired Canadian judge Peter Cory's report into collusion allegations would be published with some editing by the end of the month or before Easter.

Judge Cory examined allegations of collusion surrounding some of the most controversial killings of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, including the murders of solicitors Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson, Catholic man Robert Hamill and Loyalist Volunteer Force leader Billy Wright.

Assembly members Alex Attwood and John Dallat and the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Martin Morgan, were also part of the SDLP delegation at the Downing Street talks.

Judge Cory delivered his reports last October

Mr Durkan said he was not satisfied with the government's response that it would meet its commitment to a public independent inquiry following Cory's publication.

He said: "We were not able to get satisfaction from the government as to what their full response would be and we made clear to the government that we will be holding them to the commitments and promises that they made.

"We are not in the business of negotiating anything short of the clear promises they made. After all, the prime minister was the man who told us that clarity was our friend and ambiguity was our enemy.

"The commitment he made on Cory was clear and unambiguous and we want it published in a clear and unambiguous way."

Mr Durkan was asked whether he would be willing to go into government without Sinn Fein.

He said he "would not allow the people of Ireland to be frustrated indefinitely by the refusal of paramilitaries to meet the requirements".

Mr Durkan accused the government of asking for clarity and certainty on the paramilitary issue one day and then engaging in spin days later.

However, he added that he believed Mr Blair was determined "not to fudge the issue in future".

The political institutions in Northern Ireland were suspended in October 2002 amid allegations of IRA intelligence-gathering in the Stormont government.