The entire republican movement must honour the Mitchell principles on non-violence, following the IRA statement that it had problems with some of them, the Taoiseach has said.
Amid strong reaction to the IRA's distancing itself from Sinn Fein's public acceptance of the principles, Mr Ahern said the way forward was through democratic, peaceful means. Disarmament should be dealt with through the new decommissioning commission. The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, maintained that the public divergence between the Sinn Fein and IRA positions was a calculated manoeuvre to try to ensure that unionists would not turn up for the talks. The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, played down the statement's significance, saying it was what he expected from the IRA.
Mr Bruton rejected suggestions that there was a divergence between the Sinn Fein and IRA positions. "I have been Taoiseach for 2 1/2 years and I have seen the reports from the security services," he said. "On this issue Sinn Fein and the IRA are part of the one movement. They act under the same direction, to the same agenda. One uses violence or the threat of violence, the other uses political methods."
On that basis "the idea that Gerry Adams could go in as he did and renounce violence a few days ago and that the IRA say they don't agree with him [was] ludicrous".
"They want to create the maximum difficulty so the unionists won't turn up, so that Gerry Adams will get his photo opportunity in Stormont Castle with empty chairs on the other side of the table, and will look good in America. It's all callous manipulation by a united republican movement."
He hoped the unionists would not "play the IRA/Sinn Fein game. . .I believe the unionists are intelligent enough to see through this manoeuvre and that they will turn up and that they will call Gerry Adams's bluff and call the bluff of the IRA. That's the right thing for the unionists to do. That's the way they will gain the maximum advantage".
Mr Hume said nobody should be surprised that the IRA had problems with aspects of the Mitchell Principles. "One would expect the IRA to say that, as it is the nature of the IRA's existence. . .the very existence of the IRA is a contradiction of the Mitchell Principles."
The statement's timing was "a bit peculiar", but "the real question is, have the IRA stopped? Our view is that they have stopped and. . .Sinn Fein at the peace talks on Tuesday made clear that they were totally committed to that and that is their position as we understand it.
"If that is not the case, if the IRA restarted their campaign then Sinn Fein would leave the talks, obviously."
The SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, said the IRA comments about consent showed "how far out of step the IRA are with the position of the Irish people". The IRA statement yesterday rejected the definition of consent used by every party to the talks except Sinn Fein.
That definition states that no change can be brought about in the constitutional status of Northern Ireland without the consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland. But the IRA spokesman said in An Phoblacht: ". . .any political consent requirement must have a straightforward 32county context. . . must be defined within the context of British withdrawal and encompass all the people of Ireland."
Mr Mallon said this position "runs counter to the position of the Irish Government, of the Irish people, of the SDLP and the opinion expressed and manifested in the Joint Declaration and the Joint Framework Document and the Anglo-Irish Agreement. So they are taking up a position on that crucial element which is counter to the wishes of the Irish people.
The Sinn Fein Dail deputy, Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain, insisted yesterday that his party would accept any agreement reached in allparty negotiations. "Sinn Fein will stand over any agreement that is reached. . .and we will join with all others to promote the broadest maximum acceptance of that agreement in a follow-on to the successful conclusion of that process."