REINSTATING the ceasefire is a moral obligation as well as a political imperative for the IRA, Cardinal Cahal Daly said yesterday.
On the eve of the proposed all party talks, Dr Daly said the absence of Sinn Fein from the negotiations would he extremely regrettable and he called for an 11th hour ceasefire from the IRA so that the party could participate.
Criticism of the series of preconditions, which for 18 months delayed the fixing of a date for the beginning of talks, was understandable and justified, he said. But Sinn Fein had also set down preconditions which were unacceptable to both the Irish Government and the overwhelming majority of the Irish nationalist people.
"Twenty five years of violence would seem to have convinced the British army and security chiefs that the IRA cannot be militarily defeated. At the same time, these 25 years would seem to have convinced the IRA leadership that they cannot militarily win.
"The most realistic hope of getting weapons taken out of commission is for the paramilitary organisations themselves to decide to put them out of commission. In turn, the people whose influence offers greatest hope of persuading them to do so are the political leaders who support their political aims. It is clear to many that these political leaders are willing and anxious to do so but can succeed in doing so only in the context of an overall political settlement", he said.
The most positive contribution to resolving the problems of decommissioning had been made by Senator George Mitchell and the international body which he chaired, Dr Daly said.
His involvement was the best possible guarantee for unionists as well as nationalists that this process would be handled fairly, impartially and effectively without blocking negotiations on the other substantive issues.
"What the long term political future of this island and of Northern Ireland is to be cannot be predetermined. Both unionists and nationalists should be content to leave the long term future of the island to the gradual evolution of the democratic process. Each should concentrate on living together in the present in peace and in full equality of rights and full mutual parity of esteem for each other's identity and tradition", he said.
Cardinal Daly called for special prayers at all Masses yesterday for those involved in the talks.