The North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, has described Dr Mo Mowlam's acceptance that the Provisional IRA ceasefire has not broken down as "deeply disappointing" and "deeply flawed". However, he has declined to call for the resignation of the Northern Secretary.
Many people in Northern Ireland would find Dr Mowlam's comments gravely disappointing, Mr Trimble said. "There have been clear breaches of the IRA ceasefire. The Northern Secretary's decision was undoubtedly damaging to public confidence in the entire talks process."
Speaking at a press conference at Stormont yesterday, Mr Trimble said that Dr Mowlam should have considered taking action on the early release of Provisional IRA prisoners. It was "dangerous" that she appeared to accept the Provisional IRA's own definition of its ceasefire.
The Provisional IRA's understanding of the suspension of military operations meant not initiating attacks on the British army, RUC or loyalists, and not carrying out bomb attacks on commercial targets. But its definition of its ceasefire did not rule out killing members of the nationalist community, and the Northern Secretary had effectively accepted that position, Mr Trimble said.
"I don't believe that decision is right. I don't think it's a valid distinction. I do not accept the IRA's definition of a ceasefire. A ceasefire is a ceasefire is a ceasefire. You are not on ceasefire when you are shooting people."
He said that there was no difference between a breach and a breakdown of a ceasefire. Dr Mowlam should have been demanding a complete and total end to violence by the Provisional IRA.
Mr Trimble indicated that he would use Senator George Mitchell's review of the implementation of the Belfast Agreement, which begins early next month, to "put the spotlight on the paramilitaries".
He continued: "We will want to see that review being a review of the ceasefire, of the position of the paramilitaries, and we will be challenging Sinn Fein and the democratic parties to clarify their position."
He said that republicans could progress no further down the political path until they showed that their violence was in the past. "The republican movement now must seriously consider what it is going to do," he said. "The challenge here for the republican movement is for them to demonstrate clearly to the people of Northern Ireland and elsewhere that they have left violence behind. I see that as a difficult challenge in the present circumstances."
The First Minister refused to make any comment on the demands of his party colleagues, Mr Ken Maginnis and Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, for Dr Mowlam to be removed as Northern Secretary. However, he said that people would feel greatly let down by her.
"To deny the simple fact that this is a breach of the ceasefire is deeply disappointing, and I know that very many people in Northern Ireland will find the Secretary of State's inability to deal with this matter clearly a grave disappointment.
"There is no doubt about the situation. We have every reason to believe that the IRA as an organisation, and not dissident individuals, was behind the murder of Mr [Charles] Bennett, as it was behind the murder of other people in Northern Ireland this year, and was also behind the attempted importation of weapons.
"These must be regarded as breaches of the ceasefire. I'm sorry the Secretary of State was not able to tell the people the simple truth."