WORLD IN BRIEF : BRITAIN : Irish Rebels’ Bid for Talks Rejected

Britain rejected the Irish Republican Army’s offer to enter peace talks, saying the guerrillas would have to give up all violent forms of protest before such negotiations could be considered. Northern Ireland Minister Peter Brooke told reporters in Belfast: “The IRA knows the government position. We will not be engaging in talks with Sinn Fein (the IRA’s political wing) as long as violence is going on and as long as Sinn Fein endorses violence.” The IRA had offered to sit down without preconditions for talks aimed at bringing a truce in the 20-year fight over British rule of Northern Ireland.