The IRA has launched a strong thinly-veiled criticism of the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, and the Government and warned that without movement from the British government there is "little prospect" of political progress.
The IRA, in its annual Easter message released last night, said that senior Irish politicians, for their own "selfish" electoral interests, were spearheading a campaign to demonise republicans.
The IRA was also critical of "British securocrats", but there were no direct or indirect comments in the statement suggesting any threat to the IRA ceasefire.
In an obvious reference to recent broadsides against Sinn Féin and the IRA from Mr McDowell and the Government, the IRA said it was "witnessing another attempt to criminalise and demonise republicans and the republican struggle.
"This time it is for selfish electoral reasons. Leading this are Irish politicians who stood idly by while Irish citizens, North and South, were being terrorised by the RUC, the British army and their surrogates in the unionist death squads," the IRA said in the statement published in today's edition of An Phoblacht.
"Twenty-three years ago, the men and women in the H-Blocks and Armagh jail defeated the policy of criminalisation. Ten Irish republicans died on hunger strike in defence of the integrity of the republican struggle. This new attempt will also fail," it added.
The statement, signed by "P. O'Neill", extended fraternal greetings to "republican activists" and its supporters and friends on the 88th anniversary of the Easter Rising and coming up to the 10th anniversary of the August 1994 IRA ceasefire.
The statement continued: "Throughout the 10 years of our cessation there has been very serious provocation from British securocrats, their military forces and their allies in unionist paramilitarism.
"In the same period, others within the British and Irish establishments have persisted with the idea of defeating republicans rather than moving forward. They are now on an offensive. The old conservative agenda has re-emerged. The unionist paramilitaries are responding to that.
"IRA guns remain silent, despite an onslaught of unionist paramilitary violence against Catholics, including hundreds of attacks and a number of killings over the last year."
The IRA insisted that it met its side of last October's aborted sequenced deal that was to lead to the restoration of devolution and accused the British and Irish governments and unionists of reneging on theirs.
"They acted in bad faith. Yet again the two governments are attempting to move the goalposts. This has caused justifiable anger. It is unacceptable that other protagonists should try to dictate the terms of our cessation," it added, warning that the British must honour past pledges or else there could be no political progress.
"The honouring of agreements and commitments is critical in instilling confidence and demonstrating that politics can work. They are essential elements of building an enduring political process.
"The two governments, and in particular the British government, must fulfil their commitments. Until they do so there can be little prospect of any progress," the IRA said.
The IRA said that since the ceasefire it had consistently demonstrated its commitment to the peace process through a series of "substantive initiatives" despite failed attempts by the British government and unionists to achieve "the surrender of the IRA".
Meanwhile, the Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, met the Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, yesterday to press for an immediate inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane.
