The British Prime Minister Tony Blair said today the IRA had failed to provide a "clear and unambiguous" commitment to Northern Ireland's peace process.
Mr Blair told a media briefing in Downing Street that the parties in the Northern Ireland peace process were "frustratingly close" to an agreement - but had yet to finalise a deal.
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Referring to Sinn Fein president Mr Gerry Adams's insistence that the IRA's commitments to the peace process were clear, Mr Blair said: "The truth is, so far as we are concerned, and the Irish government is concerned, and the US government, they are not clear and unambiguous, they are uncertain."
"There are essentially three questions that arise and I think you will find that when I describe these three questions, they are all questions that are perfectly capable of clear and plain answers," he said. "Let me spell them out for you because these are the three fundamental questions.
"When the IRA say that their strategies and disciplines will not be inconsistent with the Good Friday Agreement, does that mean an end to all activities inconsistent with the Good Friday Agreement, including targeting, procurement of weapons, so-called punishment beatings and so forth?
"Secondly, when they say that they are committed to putting arms beyond use through the decommissioning commission, does that mean all arms so that the process is complete?
"And thirdly, when they say that they support the Good Friday Agreement and want it to work, does that mean that if the two Governments and the other parties fulfil their obligations under the Good Friday Agreement and the joint declaration, does that mean the complete and final closure of the conflict?"
Mr Blair said he did not believe his questions were too difficult to answer. He continued: "Because this whole process is about the trust that people need and the confidence that they need, then the answers have got to be clear."
Mr Blair also said his government wanted a positive backdrop to Northern Ireland Assembly Elections on May 29th.
However, Sinn Féin's Mr Gerry Kelly claimed today that it may be impossible to bridge the gap between republicans and the British government demands for a clearer statement from the IRA, insisting the statement passed to London and Dublin by the Provisional IRA was clear about its future.
"The IRA statement is clear and unambiguous," the North Belfast MLA said, insisting the demands being made of the were unreasonable. "The two governments are saying otherwise. I don't know if that circle can be squared."
Mr Kelly blamed the Ulster Unionists for the impasse in the peace process, claiming they have used their veto "yet again" in this process. "They are the ones who pulled down the institutions four times - or at least the British government did at their behest - and we have that situation again."
The IRA issued a joint statement to the British and Irish governments on April 13th. In it the IRA said it was committed to seeing the peace process succeed. A clarification was issued to the governments the following day.
However, after considering the communication from the IRA, the two governments declared that the clarification provided by the IRA still did not clearly state that the paramilitary organisation was ending all activity.