Ahern: Republicans must face reality for peace
The IRA must end all illegal activity if the promise of the Good Friday Agreement is to be fulfilled, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern insisted tonight.
As his Government signed a Fine Gael motion in theDáil calling on the IRA to immediately disarm and end all criminal activity, Mr Ahern said republicans had to face reality.
“After two years and more of exhaustive negotiations across the full spectrum of issues, it is now impossible to deny that continuing IRA paramilitary and criminal activity are fundamentally destabilising to the peace process,” he said.
“Quite simply, there cannot be inclusive institutions until they are definitely removed from the equation.
“I fully understand and appreciate that this may be an uncomfortable reality for some people to accept.
“However, if we are to move beyond the present impasse and get the process back on track, we must honestly acknowledge the nature of the problem.”
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