I.R.A. . . . PROTESTANT PROBLEMS

The movement toward peace in Northern Ireland seemed to proceed apace with an historic meeting between Dublin and the Irish Republican Army, but potential troubles from absent players festered elsewhere. In the Irish capital, Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds and Gerry Adams, head of the I.R.A.'s political wing, said they were "totally and absolutely committed to democratic and peaceful methods of resolving our political problems." But they stopped short of agreeing to the permanent I.R.A. cease-fire demanded by British P.M. John Major, who has opposed the all-Irish talks. Worse for him, Major got into a dust-up with the Rev. Ian Paisley, the Irish Protestant impresario who heads the hardline Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland. Paisley accused Major of "shouting and interrupting" him during their 10-minute meeting.