The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, yesterday welcomed the IRA statement on decommissioning, but said it did not go far enough.
He said the statement that the IRA is to renew and intensify talks with the independent decommissioning body indicated progress but was "only a step".
"While I welcome it, it is not enough in terms of where we were on August bank holiday Monday," he said. "It did not give a full response to the Weston Park proposals." Mr Ahern said that offer from the IRA at the beginning of August was the first part of a two-pronged process. "The first was to get modalities agreed with the de Chastelain commission and the second was for it [decommissioning] to commence." He hoped the IRA would intensify their contact with the commission and make sure decommissioning happens.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, and Northern Secretary Dr John Reid would have to make a decision by today on whether to extend the deadline, he said, but he expected it would happen.
Suspension of the institutions was more likely than elections, he said, but warned that the intervening six weeks would have to be used productively.
Mr Cowen described the IRA statement as an encouraging step. It was important the reengagement was "built on and we move on to resolving the problem".
He said it behoved everybody to recognise the primacy of the de Chastelain commission. There could be no partisan interpretation or no further conditions required. Mark Hennesy adds:
The IRA's decision was also welcomed by Fine Gael Leader Mr Michael Noonan and Leader of the Labour Party, Mr Ruairi Quinn.
"We hope that on this occasion the re-engagement leads to full and total decommissioning. Fine Gael wants Sinn Fein to become a normal, fully participative, democratic party and I therefore welcome initiative which brings them a stage closer to that," said Mr Noonan.
Mr Quinn said the IRA's declaration alone was not enough to convince people it was serious about addressing the arms issue.