Alliance Party gives guarded welcome

The middle-of-the-road Alliance Party gave a guarded welcome to the IRA statement.

Deputy leader and Stormont Assembly member Eileen Bell said it was ‘‘a positive step towards building greater confidence in the peace process’’.

It was, she added, an important gesture of reconciliation at a delicate stage of the peace process.

‘‘An apology can never bring victims of violence back, but it is important that we all continue to make progress towards a normal society where all violence is a distant memory.

‘‘While I hope this is the IRA’s way of beginning to say that the war is over, there is still a real need for it to fully acknowledge the pain caused to all victims, including members of the security forces,’’ she said.

Mrs Bell said the IRA should also demonstrate its bona fides regarding the durability of its ceasefire - that meant ensuring units took no further part in violence and worked towards a situation ‘‘whereby the IRA can begin to disband’’.

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Quentin Davies welcomed the move but said it was ‘‘not enough’’ to make up for the loss of life at the hands of the IRA.

He also called on loyalist paramilitaries to ‘‘move forward in the same spirit’’.

Mr Davies told Sky News: ‘‘This is undoubtedly a positive signal. It is a gesture but it is a very important signal, a very important gesture, and we should respond positively to it.

‘‘We must not be naive about it but we must indicate that we appreciate the effort that is being made and we must try to ensure that all other parties in the peace process, including the loyalists, move forward in the same spirit.’’

He added: ‘‘Of course it is not enough. What is ever enough to bring back the dead? You cannot do that. But nevertheless in the situation in which we are, we are trying to find our way forward to a new Northern Ireland.’’