David Trimble ,"This is the day we were told would never happen"
David Trimble has said that he intends to recommend the reconstitution of the Northern Ireland executive to his party. The Ulster Unionist leader said he had been told by General John de Chastelain that the International Decommissioning Commission had seen weapons put beyond use.
A delighted Mr Trimble said that this was "the day we were told would never happen". The former First Minister admitted that he had believed that decommissioning would eventually come about, but it had taken longer than he had expected.
The SDLP leader, Mark Durkan, said that Unionists needed to welcome the statement, and that he hoped they would work with it.
PUP leader David Ervine welcomed the IRA statement as "seriously significant". "Having demanded that we see the bone fides of the republican movement, it's incumbent upon us all to get on with the job of moving the process forward," said the East Belfast MLA, whose party is linked to the UVF.
However, Mr Ervine said that a similar gesture from the UVF or Red Hand Commando could not be expected, "because they are not ready".
Dismissing the statement, the DUP Deputy Leader insisted that concrete evidence of disarmament was needed. "Smoke and mirrors, and slight of hand, and fudge and haziness simply won't cut it. Far from being groundbreaking, that barely scratches the surface," said Peter Robinson.
The East Belfast MP said that his party would seek a meeting with General de Chastelain for precise details on the decommissioning process.
Speaking on RTÉ television, Gerry Adams said the announcement represented a huge movement in the history of the island of Ireland and its relationship with Britain.
The Sinn Féin leader said that the IRA had moved in a way in which it was not obliged. He said that he now wanted the British Government to move on demilitarisation.
