FG says IRA statement 'has potential to repair damage'

Fine Gael has said the statement issued by the IRA had the potential to repair damage done to the peace process.

But the party said the statement on its own would not be enough to convince people of the IRA’s intentions and that nothing short of complete decommissioning and cessation of violence would be acceptable.

“The statement issued by the IRA today has the potential, if fully delivered on, to repair the damage done to public confidence in the northern peace process," deputy leader Richard Bruton said.

“It will also lead to renewed hope that the clear commitments made by the Provisional movement at the time of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 will finally be honoured,” .

“However, IRA statements on their own are no longer sufficient to convince people. Too often in the past seven years we have witnessed promising statements followed by false dawns.

“The sincerity of the Provisional movement will be judged by the actions it takes to implement this latest statement.”

Mr Bruton said democratic Ireland could not tolerate a political party maintaining a private army and illegal fundraising.

He said the statement did not include a specific pledge to end criminality and that issue would require further clarification.

Fine Gael said the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) and the police forces would have a crucial role to play in the coming months in evaluating whether the terms of the statement were adhered to.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny is to seek an early meeting with the Taoiseach to establish whether any concessions were granted to Sinn Féin by the Government in the run up to this statement, the party added.

Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said today had the potential to become a watershed day in Irish history.

“I think it shows we are moving towards not just an end of war, of extreme violence but also the paramilitary type of activity that we have seen and hopefully the criminality that we have seen as well,” she said. “It is a potentially wonderful day for Irish history.”

The minister added: “Who would have thought last year, or the year before, 10 years ago, that we would have got to the stage where we have the IRA making a statement like this, where they are calling on all of their units throughout the country to dump arms? That is what is really very significant, that in itself from 4pm today makes today a historic day.”