The guns of the IRA are gone; we must work now to build a better Ireland, writes Bertie Ahern.
Yesterday was a momentous day for the people of this island, North and South.
Finally, after many false starts, the IRA yielded to their will as expressed in the referendum on the Good Friday agreement.
They have given up their weapons to pursue their aims by exclusively peaceful means.
I have worked unstintingly for this outcome for the past seven years to fulfil the mandate that the people gave me in that referendum, to secure a permanent peace in this island.
In spite of the many setbacks and disappointments, I have continued to pursue that goal because, as a constitutional republican, I was convinced it was the only way to achieve a final resolution to the Northern conflict.
Gen John de Chastelain's Independent Commission was given the job of overseeing the decommissioning of paramilitary arms. That task is an essential part of the peace process. The delay in completion of IRA decommissioning has presented perhaps the greatest obstacle to the success of the process and the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement.
The report published yesterday states the commission believes that the arms decommissioned represent the totality of the IRA's arsenal. It also says that the amount of weaponry involved is consistent with the estimates prepared by the Irish and British security forces.
We have also heard from two independent witnesses, the Rev Harold Good and Fr Alec Reid.
They are men of integrity and their words have been clear. They told of how they watched the entire process, minute by minute. They said that beyond any shadow of doubt, the arms of the IRA have now been decommissioned.
This is a landmark development and a truly historic moment.
The guns of the IRA are gone. The age-old tradition of using physical force to achieve Irish nationalist political objectives has been abandoned.
The removal of these guns transforms the situation and presents an enormous opportunity.
The challenges were set out by Tony Blair and myself in July - they include the restoration of the political institutions, the ending of loyalist paramilitary and criminal activity, and the resolution of policing issues.
The path to resolution of these issues is also clear.
We needed to see the completion of IRA decommissioning. That has now happened.
We need to be convinced that all IRA paramilitary and criminal activity has come to an end. The next report of the Independent Monitoring Commission will be published in October and that will give an indication of progress on this issue. There will be a further IMC report in January.
There are other issues that also need to be addressed.
Most importantly, we need to see the removal of loyalist weapons from the equation. The threat of loyalist violence must be removed.
The role of the Police Service of Northern Ireland is central to a future free of paramilitary threat. In my view a policing vacuum is now the most dangerous threat to the hard-won peace that we enjoy.
The completion of IRA decommissioning is a very positive step. But at this time it is also proper that we should recall the many people who have suffered at the hands of these weapons. Too many families will not see loved ones again. We must never forget these victims, on all sides.
We must work now to build a better Ireland. An Ireland of peace and prosperity. An Ireland that is a warm home for everybody who lives here.
The Government will uphold the Good Friday agreement and the principle of equality. We will play our part in building peace, prosperity and reconciliation. There is no going back to the bad old days.
A better future must include a whole-hearted reconciliation with the Unionist people. The Unionist people have a right to live in peace on this island. The Good Friday agreement has delivered that peace. But peace alone is not enough.
The agreement also established the principle of consent and removed the South's territorial claim on the North. It has helped bring about the end of the IRA's armed campaign and it has now brought about the decommissioning of the IRA's weapons.
The Good Friday agreement provides the basis for democratic government and a prosperous shared future for everybody.
Trust and confidence needs to be rebuilt and people will need time to reflect on recent events.
But I hope that nobody underestimates the importance of these developments.