Taoiseach's press conference: Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said that yesterday's IRA statement heralded "a new era" for the island of Ireland.
Describing the history of Ireland as "a bloodstained one", he hoped the statement marked the end of the " tradition of using violence to advance political objectives".
"What we achieved just shortly after four [ pm] is something that has been a burden over this island since the summer of 1969," he told journalists at Government Buildings yesterday afternoon.
"Tonight will be the first night since 1969 we won't go to our beds feeling that same threat right over our heads. This city and every city on every part of this island has suffered that." There were challenges ahead, but "today is a good day for Ireland", Mr Ahern said.
The statement was "unprecedented" and "if the IRA's words are borne out by verified actions, it will be a momentous and historic development".
Stressing the need to remember the "victims of violence", Mr Ahern said the focus of the Government and the British government would be the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement.
There were "difficult issues to address", including policing, loyalist paramilitary activity and the restoration of institutions.
"This will require hard work to reach agreement with all of the people of this island, including the representatives of the unionist community. I know that they will judge the IRA based on its behaviour and activity," Mr Ahern said.
He did not expect to see the restoration of institutions in advance of the completion of the verification process. This will not be completed until January at the earliest. It was a "great day" for constitutional republicanism represented by other parties in the South, according to the Taoiseach, and was a clear acknowledgement of its "moral imperative".
He said it was "also a great day for the British government and people, under the leadership of Tony Blair", whose "contribution to peace in Ireland has been immense".
Mr Ahern said he was convinced that the statement marked an end to all IRA violence.
"Like everybody else, I'd like to see the verification process. I am convinced that in time we will see under the two verification processes that this is seeing the IRA moving to a new mode."
He was also satisfied that the statement meant the IRA also intended to cease all criminal activities. "In this statement the parts that says 'all other activities' is the phrase that we have always used to describe Paragraph 13 of the [ 2003] Joint Declaration.
"And that is the broad statement that we would use and that includes in our view those areas relating to criminality."
In relation to a complete disbandment of the IRA, Mr Ahern said the organisation continued to be illegal, but that the key issue was to get it to cease activity. "Once it's not engaged in unlawful activity, its formal existence or non-existence is no longer the crucial issue."
In relation to the reaction of Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley, the Taoiseach said he echoed Mr Paisley's desire that the verification process had to be undertaken to satisfy the various parties and groups involved in the Peace Process. People had a right to be "sceptical" in light of the many "false dawns" in the past.
The Taoiseach described yesterday as an important day for himself and for those who had worked with him on the peace process, which he described as the most important single issue for a taoiseach.
He reiterated the Government's position that the killers of Det Garda Jerry McCabe would not benefit from early release, or that IRA members on the run who have been linked to the killing would not benefit from any future amnesty for suspected IRA activists still on the run.
In relation to decommissioning, Mr Ahern said its timing was "totally a matter for" the International Commission on Decommissioning, and he had no intention of interfering with their work.
"They have powers and legislative powers and regulatory powers. Obviously . . . I'd like to see it happening sooner rather than later, because it will help the overall process of trying to move onto the next stage and get the institutions and other matters under the Good Friday agreement up and running."