The Sinn Fein president has welcomed the statement by the Independent International Co mmission on Decommissioning as "hugely historical".
Mr Gerry Adams said the initiative was to be welcomed, "especially so when viewed against the backdrop of loyalist killings, the almost daily attacks on Catholics, with the unionist leaderships working to undermine the Good Friday agreement and a British government which has broken past commitments".
"In our view and in the context of the peace process and of republican history and theology, this statement marks a hugely historical breakthrough," he said.
"The two governments, the Ulster Unionist Party, and the other pro-agreement parties - and even anti-agreement parties - should grasp this new opportunity, should build upon the unprecedented opportunity which this statement creates. They should move now speedily towards the implementation, fully, of the Good Friday agreement," he said.
Mr Adams said the patience of the decommissioning commission, especially of Gen de Chastelain, who had spent five years in the North, had been borne out.
"Once again I believe that the IRA has demonstrated its commitment to the search for a full and lasting peace and that commitment needs to be matched by all the political parties who we believe should respond positively and constructively," he said.
Asked when the IRA would actually decommission, Mr Adams said the initiative was "very firm proof of the IRA's ability and commitment to keeping its promises".
"When, how and all the other technical questions should be left to the IICD to sort out," he said.
"The IICD are charged with the responsibility of sorting this issue out, let them get on with that."
He said the actions of Mr Trimble in banning Sinn Fein ministers from attending meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council had been illegal, despite the fact he said it was because of a lack of decommissioning.
"Now they have a reason to remove that as an excuse, or if it genuinely was an obstacle, as an obstacle," Mr Adams said.
"I would expect there to be a move from the UUP and from all of the other political parties to stabilise the political institutions, to let what was seen as a great breakthrough some years ago actually start to bear fruit and for politicians to work at politics and leave the IICD to work away on the arms issue," he said.
When asked if there had been a secret deal done between Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists, Mr Adams said there was no agreement other than the Belfast Agreement.
"If I was the leader of Ulster Unionism and I wanted this to work, I would seize upon this and move forward with this," he said.
Mr Adams warned that if unionists did not react well to the statement, the peace process would again be in jeopardy.
"If the Ulster Unionist Party, and indeed anybody else, feels there are certain issues which they have no responsibility for, then we are going to end up going through a lot of agony and a lot of prolonged and protracted negotiations and a loss of confidence," he said.
The party's chief negotiator, Mr Martin McGuinness, said unionists must now reappraise their objections to aspects of the Belfast Agreement such as police reform and the Parades Commission.
"I think that what David Trimble needs to do is recognise that at this juncture of our process he needs to be going forward fighting for the totality of the Good Friday agreement," he said.
"He needs to be out there advocating the acceptance of this agreement, advocating the acceptance of change and recognising that only through allowing Gen de Chastelain to get on with his work can we hope to resolve the problems which are out there," he said.
Mr McGuinness said Sinn Fein still had "big difficulties with the failure of the British government to live up to the commitments they made in terms of the new beginning to policing", and said it still needed more detail in this and other areas.
"We're not into the business of being dictated to by David Trimble's deadlines or any deadlines contrived by David Trimble," he said.
"I think a word of caution needs to be issued to the two governments to get off that train and recognise that it is now time for the full implementation of the agreement - and that means every single aspect of it," he said.