Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams yesterday called on the IRA to abandon violence and unilaterally commit itself to political and democratic means.
In a speech in Belfast which received a cautious welcome in Dublin and London, Mr Adams appealed to the Provisionals to begin intensive internal consultation on his call as quickly as possible.
He defended the actions of the IRA for more than 30 years but claimed politics was now the best option. "Your determination, selflessness and courage have brought the freedom struggle towards its fulfilment," he said.
But he then added: "That struggle can now be taken forward by other means." It was a defining moment for republicans, he claimed, which called for a "truly historic decision".
When IRA members began their campaign there was no alternative, he said. "Now there is an alternative. I have clearly set out my view of what that alternative is. The way forward is by building political support for republican and democratic objectives across Ireland and by winning support for these goals internationally."
The Irish and British governments welcomed his statement as positive and significant but stressed it was ultimately dependent on an IRA response.
The Taoiseach said nothing less than a complete and decisive end to all IRA activity and capability will be acceptable if there is to be any prospect of achieving inclusive politics in Northern Ireland. "The only way forward is through peaceful and democratic means," he added.
A spokesman for prime minister Tony Blair said Mr Adams's statement was "significant" and ultimately dependent on the IRA.
Appealing to the IRA to embrace his political alternative Mr Adams urged its members to take what he called courageous initiatives which would achieve republican aims by purely political and democratic activity.
He made what he called his "address to the IRA" on the first full day of the British general election campaign accompanied by senior Sinn Féin members and candidates at Conway Mill in west Belfast.
There were no signs last night that the IRA would make a hasty response to Mr Adams. A Sinn Féin source said there was no way of knowing how or when the organisation would respond.
Unionists were cynical with many dismissing Mr Adams's remarks as electioneering and a response to political pressure following the Northern Bank robbery and the Robert McCartney murder.
They denounced Mr Adams's statement as three of Mr McCartney's sisters took their case for justice to the European Parliament in Brussels where they were well received.
The SDLP said unionists were entitled to be sceptical, but gave Mr Adams's statement a guarded welcome.
Reaction to the speech was generally positive in Washington. Republican Congressman Jim Walsh, chairman of the Friends of Ireland in Congress said that Sinn Fein leaders "see this as hugely significant and I think the rest of the world should too."