The Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Dr John Reid, yesterday called on the Provisional IRA to "send a symbol of reassurance" by decommissioning its weapons.
Speaking prior to an engagement with the Chamber of Commerce in Derry, Dr Reid said he had also called on the RUC for a fresh security assessment on the continuing spate of loyalist pipe bomb attacks, which he described as a comprehensive and widespread campaign of terrorism.
"The IRA, if it were to move, would be conducting a voluntary act. There are inducements for it to do so because we have created the political context where problems can be solved politically. But at the end of the day, neither I nor anyone else can dictate to the IRA. But the one thing that is unique to Northern Ireland and its history is that the door is now open for people to move further away from the past conflict and from the past use of violence into the democratic resolution of our problem.
"People say to me it's very difficult for the IRA to take this step. I know it's difficult. I know how difficult it is for republicans who have been engaged in armed struggle to say 'we now have sufficient trust in the political process to take this huge step'.
"They have faced difficult decisions in the past . . . in overcoming abstentionism, participating in the institutions and engaging in dialogue or calling a ceasefire.
"It would send a signal of assurance to the unionist community and to everyone else that they are in this for good. None of us should ever underestimate the difficulties and pain of working with people who have been terrorists in the past," said Dr Reid.
"I have to say that the situation is not helped by the violence we have seen . . . in particular what appears to be a comprehensive and widespread campaign of sectarian pipe bombing, allegedly by elements of the UDA. I am increasingly concerned about that and will be giving that my utmost attention."