PEACE IN PERIL AS ULSTER FACES ITS LONGEST DAY

Peace in Northern Ireland was on a knife-edge last night as the province prepared for its longest day.

With 24 hours left before crucial peace talks begin in Belfast, no one knew whether they would herald a new dawn of hope or degenerate into recrimin-ations and violence.

But there were fears that Britain could be hit by a new wave of IRA bombings, in revenge for Sinn Fein being excluded from the talks.

IN DUBLIN: Sinn Fein leaders met to plan their next move.

In a largely conciliatory statement, strategist Martin McGuinness said: "The potentially positive nature of the agreement for talks could provide a useful framework to settle procedure and agenda matters for all-party talks."

He said Sinn Fein would turn up at the Belfast negotiating venue with or without a resumed ceasefire, insisting: "If we are locked out, it will not be because of the IRA, but because of people who have locked us out since August, 1994." The IRA Army Council meanwhile was in almost constant session amid renewed speculation that it might yet call a ceasefire.

IN BELFAST: Irish Prime Minister John Bruton made an 11th-hour newspaper plea to the IRA to call the ceasefire which would let Gerry Adams's Sinn Fein team into the talks.

He said: ""The demand of the republican movement has been: 'Peace Talks Now'. 'Well, 'now" is Monday! The Irish government wants no empty chairs - we want all the nationalists and all the Unionists there."

But as Unionist parties met to agree a joint approach, hardliner Peter Robinson warned of disruption to the talks in a row over the appointment of US Senator George Mitchell as chairman.

Mr Robinson, deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, said the DUP did not accept Mr Mitchell. He added: "Some of the players in this process think they can come along on Monday and impose these decisions on us - they are very much mistaken.""

IN LONDON: Security chiefs put the country on bomb alert amid fears that, instead of a ceasefire, the terrorists may mark the start of talks with renewed violence.

Members of the public were warned that they were in the frontline as prime targets for IRA hit squads, who may want to exact a terrible price for the talks snub to Sinn Fein.

City of London security staff were put on "super-alert" following warnings that the IRA is expected to activate sleeper units in the UK - with orders to target Britain's financial heartland.

A sixth suspect was arrested in London yesterday by police investigating the IRA blast in Docklands which killed two people. Two men were released last night.

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