When I was coming up, it was a dangerous world and you knew exactly who they were. It was us versus them and it was clear who them was. Today we are not so sure who the they are, but we know they're there.
- US Presidential hopeful George W. Bush
No process can limp from crisis to crisis the way this one has . . . If we go into review, then this party, and this party leader, is going to sit back and reflect in a very contemplative way on what role I have to play as a messenger who continuously gets shot.
- Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams
In Northern Ireland the problems often are the symbols that stand in the way of progress, the symbols of unionists and nationalists. The issue of decommissioning is one such symbol.
- Tony Blair, British PM
I believe that if the IRA were to arrange with Gen de Chastelain that an amount of Semtex was to be left in a certain location, the current difficulties could be swiftly overcome.
- John Hume, SDLP leader
Nobody is looking for surrender by the IRA.
- The Northern Secretary, Peter Mandelson
People should not regard this as being a crisis - it's a difficulty. They should not regard it as being the end of the hopes the agreement engendered, but just as a problem that we will work through.
- David Trimble, Northern Ireland First Minister
Politics is not my mission, peace is.
- Dr Seamus Hegarty, Bishop of Derry, on his offer to accept arms from the IRA as a means of overcoming crisis
Super Caley go ballistic Celtic are atrocious.
- Sun headline about Celtic's stunning defeat by Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Cup
I can't really feel that sorry for John Barnes . . . Celtic fans have been brought up on a diet of attacking football, glamorous football - but that's not what we were getting.
- Peter Rafferty, Association of Celtic Supporters' Clubs, of Barnes's sacking
With a song it's just your own ass you stick out the window; with a film you stick a lot of other people's asses out the window, too.
- U2's Bono, at the premiere of his film The Million Dollar Hotel
The people involved are not acting in the interests of Irish republicanism. They are not acting in the interests of any real section of the Irish people and should disband.
- Gerry Adams, on the CIRA bomb attack in Fermanagh
We treat calls for our disbandment from those nauseating hypocrites in the same contemptuous manner in which their British paymasters have treated their calls for the disbandment of the RUC.
- CIRA statement
Deputy Foley joins the most elite creche to be minded by the indispensable Minister and nanny, Seamus Brennan.
- The Fine Gael deputy leader, Nora Owen, referring to the Taoiseach's comment that Denis Foley was "in effect" an Independent TD
The worst kind of tabloid journalism designed solely to sell newspapers.
- Ms Justice Carroll, on press comment on the Catherine Nevin murder trial. P}