Letter: After the bomb: which road to take if streets are unsafe?

Sir: The appalling death of yet another child victim of the Northern Ireland conflict is an event made all the more tragic by a speech shortly before it by James Molyneaux, leader of the Official Unionist Party, in which he set his face against any involvement in talks by either Dublin or London in favour of a purely internal dialogue for Northern Ireland that is even vague on any element of power-sharing. This position could not be further removed from that of Northern Ireland's nationalist community, the Irish Government, or even the British Government.

It may be no accident that Mr Molyneaux's speech came almost immediately after President Clinton had postponed the decision on whether to send a 'peace envoy' to Northern Ireland. The tragic death of a child in Warrington, combined with the intransigence of Mr Molyneaux's speech, must spur the community outside Northern Ireland, even outside Britain and Ireland, to intervene for peace, lest with the Warrington killing there is no end to the conflict, and with Mr Molyneaux's speech, no hope of any end.

Yours sincerely,

JOSEPH MURPHY

Birmingham

22 March