THE former Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, appealed yesterday to the IRA to restore the ceasefire. "My message to the IRA is to restore the ceasefire, for it is the only way forward."
Mr Reynolds was speaking in Ennis, Co Clare, where he opened a £1 million health and leisure centre at the West County Lynch Hotel. He had flown in from the Far East.
Mr Reynolds said he was disappointed at some recent developments affecting the peace process.
"A cold blooded murder" was how he described the killing by the IRA of Det Garda Jerry McCabe at Adare and he said the Manchester bombing was appalling.
"Nevertheless, we cannot afford to take any action that might lead to abandoning the peace process. We will never get the same chance again."
He said he did not regard the peace process as dead. "We only have to look at the Middle East and elsewhere, for there are always difficulties." He said there should be no question of slamming the door on Sinn Fein.
Mr Reynolds said that when he meets Mr Gerry Adams he will let him know how he feels about the recent IRA activities. "It is clear that there in an intensive debate going on within the IRA. Gerry Adams has a moral responsibility to go to the IRA and get the peace process back in place again", he said.
Defending his suggestion that Sinn Fein should be invited into the North talks without preconditions he said: "I felt this was the right action as there was always the risk of things going wrong. While people are talking and not shooting each other, there is hope.
"I do not believe in isolation. The only way you will get results to this conflict is by talking around the table." He said he was hopeful that there would be a ceasefire. "It is the only way", he added.