The decommissioning of IRA weapons will not be achieved by unionist ultimatums or on British government terms, a senior IRA member said last night.
However, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, emphasised the positive points contained in the IRA's declaration: "There is no threat to the ceasefire or the peace process. That is to be welcomed."
He said that the four outstanding issues of decommissioning, demilitarisation, policing and the stability of the institutions all had to be dealt with together. "We all agree what the agenda is," he said.
Earlier, Sinn Fein disputed the Taoiseach's view that it holds the key to agreement in the North amid growing pessimism over whether the resignation of Mr David Trimble as First Minister can be averted.
Mr Ahern held informal talks in Scotland last night with the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid. This morning a delegation from the DUP is due at Downing Street for talks with the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair. Meanwhile, Dr Reid will also meet the Bush Administration's key official dealing with Northern Ireland, the director of policy and planning in the State Department, Mr Richard Haas.
The IRA spokesman contacted several media outlets to issue the statement as pressure mounted on the organisation from the Taoiseach and the SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, to make a move on decommissioning in order to save the political process.
Mr Trimble is due to resign on July 1st if there has not been an actual beginning to decommissioning. However, the IRA spokesman said his organisation would not be forced into any such action.
"We restate our belief that the issue of arms can be resolved but it will not be resolved by unionist ultimatums or on British terms," he stated. He blamed the British government for the present political crisis in the North.
He insisted that the IRA posed "no threat" to the peace process. It had honoured every commitment it had made, he claimed, while the British government had failed to keep its pledges.
"On two major points in this agreement - policing and demilitarisation - the British government has reneged," he said. "Those who want to contradict this are being dishonest. They are too intelligent to delude themselves and are only misleading themselves and the public."
The IRA spokesman, who said he was speaking for the organisation's leadership, stated that its commitment to the peace process was a matter of public record. It had been almost seven years since its first ceasefire, he said, and he also pointed to a series of meetings it had held with the international decommissioning body.
He said the IRA had displayed its goodwill by allowing three inspections of its arms dumps by the international inspectors.
The Ulster Unionist leader criticised the IRA's comments, saying they were dishonest.
Mr Trimble said the comments showed the republican movement "is not living in the real world".
"It is dishonest to represent decommissioning as just a unionist demand. It is the requirement of the agreement backed by the overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland and in the Republic," he said.
"The republican movement itself promised last May to put its weapons beyond use. The agreed deadline set for full implementation of the agreement by the governments was June 2001.
"The reality is that it is the republican movement that is putting the institutions at risk," Mr Trimble said.
Irish Government sources indicated that they were not surprised by the IRA declaration given the downbeat comments of Sinn Fein's president, Mr Gerry Adams, in recent days.
Dr Reid said the British government was prepared to honour its side of the bargain on policing and demilitarisation. "But it takes all sides," he said, as he accompanied Mr Ahern near the end of the Taoiseach's one-day official visit to Scotland.
The SDLP Minister of Higher Education said the IRA's comments would not change his party's policy that there was a need for decommissioning.
Mr Sean Farren said that the spirit and the letter of the Good Friday agreement required the decommissioning of all paramilitary weapons. "This should have taken place within two years and there is now an urgency on all those with influence to exert that influence to ensure decommissioning happens as soon as possible."