DATE=2/28/2000 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=NORTHERN IRELAND (L-ONLY) NUMBER=2-259637 BYLINE=LAURIE KASSMAN DATELINE=LONDON CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: Britain's top official for Northern Ireland has met with Unionist and Republican leaders in an attempt to revive the peace process. The effort follows suspension of Northern Ireland's home rule assembly. Correspondent Laurie Kassman reports from London that the mood is far from optimistic. TEXT: Unionist leader David Trimble insists the home- rule institutions cannot be re-established until the Irish Republican Army (I-R-A) makes a move toward handing in its weapons. The head of the I-R-A's political wing says the peace process is in tatters. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams told his party supporters Sunday it is time to shift the focus from repairing the peace process to building the party's electoral strength. That does not bode well for Britain's efforts to get the peace process back on track. Britain's top official for Northern Ireland, Peter Mandelson, met with Mr. Trimble and Mr. Adams to see how that can be done. There was no indication after the Belfast meetings that he had made any progress. It was Mr. Mandelson's first meeting with Gerry Adams since last month's suspension of the home-rule assembly in Belfast. Mr. Adams had tried to prevent the suspension with a last-minute proposal from the I- R-A on weapons disarmament. But Mr. Mandelson said the I-R-A offer needed clarification. His order to suspend the two-month-old home-rule assembly put Northern Ireland once again under direct rule from London. At the time, Mr. Adams accused Mr. Mandelson of caving in to Unionist leader David Trimble, who had threatened to resign from the home-rule assembly if the I-R-A did not start handing over its weapons. Sinn Fein argues the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement only sets next May as the deadline for disarming both loyalist and republican para-militaries. Shortly after the suspension of home-rule powers, the I-R-A stopped talking to the special commission supervising the disarmament process. (SIGNED) NEB/LMK/GE/RAE 28-Feb-2000 11:37 AM EDT (28-Feb-2000 1637 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
