Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

Is cúis áthais dom an deis seo a bheith agam páirt a ghlacadh sa díospóireacht an-tábhachtach seo, agus gabhaim buíochas leis na Seanadóirí uilig as ucht chaighdéan iontach na díospóireachta.

I have listened with great interest to the statements made by the Members of this House. I would like to acknowledge again the support and encouragement of all Senators for the work of both Governments on the peace process in Northern Ireland. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, said, the job of the two Governments is to lead that process forward, notwithstanding the many challenges that arise along the way.

The reports of the Independent Monitoring Commission, IMC, and the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, IICD, are key contributions to our work and to achieving progress in this area. The IMC report published yesterday has attracted much comment here. The report was sought by both Governments, particularly in the context of the Provisional IRA statement last July, and it has given us the first comprehensive assessment of IRA activity since then and since the decommissioning of IRA arms last September.

The report confirms significant progress in the period under review. It confirms that Provisional IRA paramilitary activity has ceased since 28 July last and, crucially, that the Provisional IRA leadership has taken the strategic decision to end its armed campaign and pursue the political path. These are positive and welcome findings.

However, we take very seriously the reports of continued criminal activity and intelligence gathering. These issues must be addressed by the Provisional IRA. While a great deal has been achieved, as the IMC report recognises, continued effort is clearly required and will be expected immediately.

The IICD report, also published yesterday, noted some progress in contact with loyalist paramilitary groups. It also confirmed that its previous assessment, that the IRA decommissioned the totality of its weapons last September, was correct.

The Government has complete confidence in the independence and integrity of the IMC and the IICD. The IICD report confirms its previous assessment on decommissioning. The IMC report states that over the coming period the IMC will examine any implications that the IICD report, or any other developments, may have for its work. The Government's role in this is to let these two bodies fulfil their respective mandates and, informed by their work, to lead the process forward.

Clearly, we are not yet where we want to be in this process. We are not yet at a point where there is sufficient trust and confidence for all parties to engage with each other.

The transition to politics is not easy, as the Minister for Foreign Affairs has said. The process in which we are engaged is particularly demanding on those who have always pursued their political aims through politics alone and have abhorred violence from any quarter at all times. The IMC and IICD reports make a persuasive case for talks, collective engagement and the primacy of politics. The political, economic and social challenges faced by Northern Ireland also make a persuasive case for politics. We have come far, through troubled times, over three decades. Following yesterday's assessment, the Government believes we have taken one more step along the way. We have made enough progress since the difficult days of the beginning of last year to allow us to start talking again.

The Governments, which are acutely conscious of the responsibilities they bear in this process, are fully prepared to exercise those responsibilities. The Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. Peter Hain, will approach the agenda for talks with the parties next Monday in that spirit. The parties have a role to play in acting on the promises they have made. They should come to the table prepared to act in good faith. We are convinced that the political parties are best placed to lay the foundations for the best possible future for the people of Northern Ireland. There is no substitute for locally-elected politicians working in a partnership government for the people they democratically represent and who democratically elected them to do so. Such a conviction will sustain the work of the Government as it strives for the full restoration this year of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement and for the peaceful and stable future that all the people of Northern Ireland deserve.