The two bodies detailed with reporting the status of paramilitary ceasefires in the North today issued significantly differing reports on the assessment of the IRA's arms capability.
The International Monitoring Commission (IMC) said there was "no evidence" of recruitment or training for paramilitary purposes, but claimed a certain number of arms may have been retained "such as a limited number of handguns kept for personal protection or some items the whereabouts of which was no longer known" .
Lord Alderdice, one of the four men sitting on the IMC declared: "We could not share the same level of confidence that he (General de Chastelain) expressed that all weapons were decommissioned."
In July last year, the IRA announced that it had formally ordered the end of its armed campaign. This statement was backed up in September when the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) said the organisation had put all of its weapons beyond use.
In its report to the two governments, also published today, the IICD said there was "no evidence" to suggest IRA weapons had been retained.
The IICD, headed by General John de Chastelain, notes that "reliable" Garda sources suggest that there is "no intelligence to suggest any arms have been any arms have been retained." The IICD also said an IRA representative had told the decommissioning body that "no IRA arms had been retained or placed in long-term hides."
The IMC also believes there is "no intention" by the IRA to target members of the security forces for the purposes of attack and there is no evidence that the PIRA has carried out any authorised paramilitary attacks in the period under review the report.
The leadership of the group has given instructions that members should not be involved in rioting, the IMC reports.
However, the report goes on to claim that the Provisionals continue to engage in intelligence gathering and have "no present intention of doing otherwise".
"This is an activity which we believe is authorised by the leadership and which involves some very senior members," the report, published at 11.30am, said. "While some of it may be for defensive purposes, it is predominantly directed towards supporting the political strategy."
The intelligence gathering involves, among other things, the continued attempt to penetrate public and other institutions "with the intention of illegally obtaining or handling sensitive information", according to the Commission.
The Commission report also notes there are indications that Provisional IRA units in some areas have been closing down criminal operations and getting rid of contraband goods
But members and former members continue to be "heavily involved in serious organised crime, including counterfeiting and the smuggling of fuel and tobacco", the report says.
The PIRA also seems to be using experts and specialists able to assist in the management of illegal assets, it adds.
In its last report in October, the IMC reported that, although it was too early to draw firm conclusions about the IRA ending all activities, there were encouraging signs to show the organisation was moving away from its armed campaign.
The Independent Monitoring Commission was set up by the British and Irish governments in January 2004 to monitor the activity of paramilitary organisations.
The report's findings will almost certainly ensure that when the DUP holds its annual conference in Belfast on Saturday, the strong mood at leadership and floor level will be to reject any pressure to engage with Sinn Féin in power-sharing talks.