The IRA apology does not absolve the British prime minister from making clear what his government would do in the event of IRA ceasefire breaches, Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble has said.
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Mr David Trimble: warning to British government
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"It is quite significant that this statement says nothing at all about the recent violence that the IRA has been involved in, nothing about what their future conduct is going to be," Mr Trimble said.
Ulster Unionists want Sinn Féin expelled from the Northern Ireland Executive because of what they see as continuing IRA activity, including its alleged involvement with Colombia rebels and alleged role in the Castlereagh break-in in March.
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"If the government uses this statement as an excuse not to fulfil those undertakings, the government will create a very dangerous situation indeed," Mr Trimble added.
Mr Trimble has given Mr Blair until the end of the current session of the British parliament - July 24th - to respond.
Ulster Unionist MP, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, branded the IRA statement a "half-hearted apology" which "doesn't go far enough".
Mr Peter Robinson, the deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, was equally dismissive. The statement had "all the odour of being more to do with the dilemma they are facing with the prime minister than any earnestness on their part to recognise the hurt and anger they have caused," he said.
But Mr David Ervine, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, said the IRA's statement should not be dismissed out of hand.
"It's been a long time in coming and we should acknowledge the fact that it has arrived and hope that maybe it heralds a new attitude," he said.
PA