The response was not unanimous but for the most part political reaction in Britain to Sinn Fein's statement was cautious. Downing Street and the Northern Ireland Office decided on a "wait and see" policy and the Tories offered a cautious welcome to the statement while at the same time warning that a new IRA ceasefire would require careful evaluation.
Speaking shortly after the joint Adams-McGuinness statement, the Shadow Northern Ireland spokesman, Mr Ian Taylor, welcomed the move - using careful language. The task for Mr Adams, he said, was to ensure that the IRA responded positively. But the "real test" would be whether, even after a ceasefire had been announced, "words are met by deeds on the ground. We need to judge how genuine and effective the ceasefire really is before the government invites Sinn Fein to join the talks."
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrat Northern Ireland spokesman, Lord Holme, tempered his response with the hope that a new ceasefire would not become "another round of cruel gamesmanship".
The response from former Tory Northern Ireland ministers has been cautious. Summing up the feelings of his colleagues, the former Northern Ireland minister, Mr Michael Mates, admitted the "cynic" in him believed Sinn Fein's statement was "a tactic" designed to capitalise on the strained relationship between unionists and the British government.
When concessions by Orangemen to reroute or cancel contentious parades was put to the deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Mr Peter Robinson, he responded with alarm. Orangemen had not prepared the ground for Sinn Fein's statement.
Speaking on Channel Four News last night, Mr Robinson said: "I think that if Orangemen in Belfast thought that their concessions had resulted in further concessions being given to Sinn Fein/IRA they would be far from pleased."
It was a "nonsense" for unionists to accept that peace was the great prize, he said. "It is liberty that is the great prize. It is our freedoms in Northern Ireland that have been given away by this government, and the IRA have made the kind of statement that they have today, through Gerry Adams, because the government has given in to every demand that the IRA have made."
Asked whether he would boycott talks if Sinn Fein was sitting at the table, Mr Robinson was perfectly clear. "Absolutely," he replied. "The whole process would be so corrupt that nobody of any standing would be prepared to be part of such a process. It makes it very clear that those who carry out acts of violence are the ones who win."
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, also spoke of his reluctance to believe the talks process had any future. "The talks process is over. The British government has surrendered everything it said it wouldn't." Dismissing Sinn Fein's statement, the leader of the UK Unionist party, Mr Robert McCartney, said: "It doesn't mean anything. It is part of Sinn Fein/IRA's tactics to get into talks without ever having to hand over weapons."
Pragmatism was left to the leader of the Ulster Unionists, Mr David Trimble. He said last night his hope was for a "complete, universal and permanent" ceasefire that would lead quickly to the disarmament of terrorist organisations.
In the event of an inclusive talks process, he said he wanted to see them proceed on the principles set out in the Downing Street Declaration.