Government 'warmly welcomes' Adams speech

The Government has "warmly welcomed" this evening’s speech by Mr Gerry Adams on IRA arms decommissioning, and said it offered hope the current impasse in the peace process could be broken.

The Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, said the statement by Mr Adams was "a positive and constructive" step.

We have made tremendous progress in the last three and a half years. People sometimes do not realise that - they only hear about the difficulties and the problems Mr Bertie Ahern

"We are up against a very tight timescale. There's not just one issue but there are many issues that we have to make progress. But there is a great opportunity to do that," he said.

"I continually held the view that if we can get over this difficulty, this obstacle ... we would be able to move on at pace and make a really significant and substantial move, building on the work of the Assembly, the Executive and the North-South institutions."

He called on people with influence to continue in the search for peace in the North, adding that recent international developments had put the process in context for many people.

"Looking at peace processes around the world and the dilemmas they face, looking at the aftermath of September 11th, looking at the good work we did in early August and late July, we can build a better future and we can constructively move on.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said the statement showed that Sinn Fein was fulfilling its obligation under the Belfast Agreement to do whatever it could to achieve decommissioning.

He said he "very much" hoped the IRA and loyalist paramilitaries would "respond positively to this political initiative".

He said Mr Adams' statement provided much-needed momentum to save the peace process.

"Everyone will have to meet their respective responsibilities at this critical juncture.

"The question as far as the government here is concerned is that we have long recognised that putting arms beyond use is an indispensable part of the agreement."

Mr Cowen said the Government would, over the next few weeks, be focussing on trying to implement all aspects of the Agreement, as detailed by the proposals that resulted from the Weston Park talks last July.

Additional reporting: PA