The IRA has staked out its position in advance of next week's visit by President Clinton. It effectively seeks concessions on demilitarisation and police reform as its price for further progress on the weapons issue.
As negotiations intensified yesterday the IRA accused the British government of failing to honour its commitments on these two key matters.
The organisation restated its commitment to the resolution of the arms issue, but repeated that this would be done only in the "clear and reasonable context" that it outlined in a statement last May.
This context, it said, involved "a new beginning to policing", a progressive reduction in the British security presence, and dealing with human rights, equality, justice and other issues.
The IRA is also seeking confirmation that its members who are "on the run" will be allowed to return freely to Northern Ireland.
The statement came as the two governments and Northern parties enter a week of intensive discussions. President Clinton's arrival on Tuesday is seen as having real potential to provide for a final effort at resolving the impasse this year.
The Taoiseach will meet the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, this week at the EU Summit in Nice to discuss progress made in discussions between their officials and Northern parties.
The aim is the opening of discussions between the IRA and the de Chastelain commission on decommissioning, and the end of the unionist veto on Sinn Fein attendance at North/South ministerial meetings.
Discussions on demilitarisation and on the detail of the implementation of police reform are likely to come to a head next week.
Government efforts are now concentrated on seeking a British commitment to a further reduction in its visible security presence in the North, particularly in south Armagh.
The Government is also pressing to secure key objectives through the implementation plan for police reform, to be finalised by next week.
Northern Ireland politicians who support the Belfast Agreement have cautiously welcomed the IRA's statement. After a meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Dublin, the Northern Secretary, Mr Mandelson, said it had to be welcomed that the IRA remained committed to putting arms beyond use.
Mr Mandelson said the accusations against the British government were unfair, given that in recent months 31 security bases had been closed, troop levels were at their lowest since 1970, and several members of the Patten commission had endorsed the British government's Policing Act.
The Culture Minister, Mr Michael McGimpsey of the Ulster Unionists, said his party welcomed the acceptance by republican paramilitaries that they had made commitments. But he described the IRA's claim that it had honoured its commitments as a "travesty".