Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has said the IRA decision to end its armed campaign represents 'a courageous and confident initiative' and is a momentous defining point in the search for lasting peace with justice.
Speaking at a news conference in Dublin, Mr Adams praised the IRA volunteers for their commitment and appealed for unity and solidarity to move forward to a 'new era of struggle' towards independence and a united Ireland.
He said it was an 'unparalleled opportunity' to fully and faithfully implement the Good Friday Agreement.
'Today's announcement can revive Good Friday Agreement. Republicans should not be surprised that our opponents will try to defeat us,' said Mr Adams.
He recognised that in the short term any Sinn Féin initiative was 'unlikely to change the reality of those who oppose us in Dublin, London and in unionists', but he said he believed republicans were 'leading by example'.
He said it was an emotional day for many and remembered all those who suffered during the years of conflict and the many who lost their lives. In renewing the commitment to 'Irish freedom', Mr Adams said 'we must ensure no one else dies as a result of conflict in our country'.
'The roadmap is clear - we want to see an end to British rule in our country, we want to end partition. We want to work with others to achieve this.'
Martin McGuinness, Sinn Féin's Chief Negotiator, spoke of an 'opportunity to resolve historic difficulties, peacefully and democratically'.
Addressing a press conference in Washington, he called on the British government to stop 'pandering to negative unionism'.
Paisley reacts
The DUP leader, Ian Paisley, said his party would judge the IRA's bona fides over the next months and years based on its behaviour and activity.
He said: 'The history of the past decade in Northern Ireland is littered with IRA statements which we were told were historic, groundbreaking and seismic. These same statements were followed by the IRA reverting to type and carrying out more of its horrific murders and squalid criminality.'
He continued: 'The unionist community feels no obligation to cheer the words of P O'Neill. We will judge the IRA's bona fides over the next months and years on its behaviour and activity.'
The DUP leader said 'even on the face of the statement, they have failed to explicitly declare an end to their multi-million pound criminal activity and have failed to provide the level of transparency that would be necessary to truly build confidence that the guns had gone in their entirety.'
Earlier, he said the decommissioning of IRA weapons must be verifiable through photographic evidence and the presence of independent witnesses.
Jeffrey Donaldson of the DUP said his party was still not sure about a number of loose ends, such as decommissioning and whether or not the IRA will continue to engage in criminal activity.
The SDLP leader, Mark Durkan, welcomed the statement and said it was clear, clean and complete, but long overdue.
He said: 'The SDLP hopes that, as promised, all IRA paramilitary activity and all IRA involvement in organised crime will end now and for good - as well as the culture of cover up and community control. This is the only way we can get the agreement up and running and make progress for all the people of this island'.
