Gerry Adams's statement follows three weeks of requests for IRA clarity and responses from the republican movement, writes Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent.
On April 10th the Irish and British governments postponed a meeting at Hillsborough Castle near Belfast at which they had intended to publish the deal designed to bring agreement to restore the North's devolved political institutions. The meeting was postponed because the IRA's planned response to the deal on policing, demilitarisation, equality issues and other issues was, in the governments' view, too vague.
In response to "acts of completion" from the British government in relation to outstanding commitments in the Belfast Agreement, the IRA was expected to be clear about its own "acts of completion", the ending of all paramilitary activity and the putting of weapons beyond use. The governments determined that the planned IRA response was not clear on these matters.
Sinn Féin responded by demanding publication of the governments' side of the deal anyway. The governments said No: if the IRA couldn't give the clarity required, then the other "acts of completion" would not be revealed either.
On Sunday, April 13th, Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness gave the Irish and British governments a new text of a statement the IRA said it would make if the rest of the deal was announced. The text of this statement has not been published. The two governments said it represented a substantial advance on the previous week's offer, but still did not provide sufficient clarity.
On April 23rd the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, posed three questions for the IRA to answer in order to bring the necessary clarity. In posing the questions he gave some indications as to what the IRA's proposed statement said.
The questions were: "1. When the IRA say that their strategies and disciplines will not be inconsistent with the Good Friday agreement, does that mean an end to all activities inconsistent with the Good Friday agreement, including targeting, procurement of weapons, so-called punishment beatings and so forth?
"2. Secondly, when they say that they are committed to putting arms beyond use through the Decommissioning Commission, does that mean all arms so that the process is complete?
"3. And thirdly, when they say that they support the Good Friday agreement and want it to work, does that mean that, if the two governments and the other parties fulfil their obligations under the Good Friday agreement and the Joint Declaration, that means the complete and final closure of the conflict?"
On Sunday, April 27th, Mr Adams made a speech answering these questions in the following way:
"Firstly, the IRA leadership has stated its determination to ensure that its activities will be consistent with its resolve to see the complete and final closure of the conflict. I have already acknowledged in my address to the Sinn Féin Ardfheis, and at other times, the difficulties caused for the pro-agreement unionists and others by allegations of IRA activities in the recent past. In particular these have been cited as an excuse for the suspension of the political institutions and the current impasse in the Good Friday agreement process.
"Sinn Féin is, with others, an architect of the Good Friday agreement. Martin McGuinness and I have raised allegations of IRA activity with the IRA leadership. Mr Blair has also raised these issues in one of his questions. In my view, the IRA statement deals definitively with these concerns about alleged IRA activity. And any such activities which in any way undermine the peace process and the Good Friday agreement should not be happening. The IRA statement is a statement of completely peaceful intent. Its logic is that there should be no activities inconsistent with this.
"Secondly, the IRA has clearly stated its willingness to proceed with the implementation of a process to put arms beyond use at the earliest opportunity. Obviously this is not about putting some arms beyond use. It is about all arms.
"And thirdly, if the two governments and all the parties fulfil their commitments this will provide the basis for the complete and final closure of the conflict."
The Irish and British governments said the answer to the first question did not have the required clarity. In particular, they said Mr Adams's statement that IRA activities which undermined the peace process and the agreement "should not be happening" fell short of the required statement that such activities - which Mr Blair had listed as including targeting, procurement of weapons and so-called punishment beatings - would not happen.
Yesterday Mr Adams addressed this question again and issued a further statement. He said the IRA was determined that there would be no activities which would undermine in any way the peace process and the Good Friday agreement.
Last night the two governments said that this latest statement still did not adequately answer the question as to whether all paramilitary activity would end.