THE Taoiseach made the following statement at the joint press conference in London.
AS the prime minister has said, we availed of this opportunity which arose primarily from an EU related visit, to review our joint work in regard to Northern Ireland.
We have two objectives in common firstly, both governments are seeking a truly inclusive process of negotiations involving all of the parties, all of the electorate represented secondly, we are both working for an unequivocal restoration of the IRA ceasefire at the earliest possible moment.
Both of these conditions are necessary for any durable and freely negotiated agreement to be reached which will be fair and acceptable to all. Violence is inimical to the reaching of a freely agreed solution.
Obviously the problems we are dealing with are complex and long standing. But the two governments are working together to solve these problems on the basis of the firm foundation of the communique that the prime minister and I agreed here on the 28th February, and also the ground rules that we agreed between our two governments for the all party talks which relate in particular as far as an IRA ceasefire is concerned to paragraphs 8 and 9, which determine eligibility as far as Sinn Fein is concerned for participation in the talks. Since the original IRA ceasefire, it is worth noting that major steps forward have been made. We have agreed a joint framework document between the two governments which set out a long term outline of how we see the solution to the problems being arrived at, an agreed position between the two governments, something never achieved before historically. Since the ceasefire also there has been an amelioration in the conditions of the prisoners, and also the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in Dublin reached a joint report involving the largest range of parties ever to sit around the same table in Ireland since 1917.
Since the ceasefire broke down, we have continued our work. We have fixed a date for all party talks, that date - the 10th of June - and the talks have started. We agreed detailed ground rules for those talks and procedures for those talks, and we are now working together to achieve an IRA ceasefire so that all the parties, including Sinn Fein, can participate in the talks.
My Government's position is that if the IRA calls an unequivocal ceasefire, in words that are believable and provided that there is nothing done that is inconsistent with this ceasefire, or with the Mitchell Principles, then Sinn Fein should be admitted to participation in the talks in accordance with the ground rules that we have agreed. The first step, however, is a credible ceasefire. The onus is on the republican movement to restore the ceasefire credibly at the earliest moment. I want to see Sinn Fein's participation in the talks at the earliest moment too on that basis.
In practical terms, given the imminence of the Christmas recess, I would hope that this would be possible early in the new year. But there could also be a room for reciprocal confidence building measures in the meantime. The sooner we have a ceasefire, the sooner we can work in that direction.
A way forward is now in place. All who are willing to negotiate with patience and determination are welcome to take part. For the sake of the people of Ireland, and of all in these islands, I call on the republican movement to give us an IRA ceasefire so that all can negotiate their future together free of threat.