INLA prisoner Dessie O'Hare has declared that his "war is over" and that the conditions for armed struggle against Britain no longer exist.
Speaking on his transfer to Castlerea Prison this week, O'Hare said in a statement issued last night through the Irish Republican Socialist Party that he unequivocally accepted the INLA ceasefire statement of Aug 22nd, 1998. "I fully associate myself with the apology contained therein," he said.
He also welcomed "the steps taken by the Irish Government to bring closure on past conflict".
"Much pain has been endured in the past and as a soldier I played a part in both inflicting and enduring pain. However it is time for all of us to move away from demonising either individuals or groups in society. I owe a great debt of gratitude to my wife and children; they have suffered far more than I because of my imprisonment," he said.
He said he remained resolute in his belief in the politics of republican socialism. "I believe it is time for the politics of the people to take precedence over the politics of the elite.
"We are now in a time of understanding, of respect, of tolerance and of healing. This is the moment for all Republicans to move away from the road of conflict-making and onto the road of conflict-resolution," he said.
He expressed the hope that, for the first time since he left school, he could have a normal life and "not curse the darkness but light candles of human hope".
A spokesman for the Minister for Justice said Mr McDowell had no comment to make on the statement, but that he reiterated that the people of Ireland had spoken through their vote for the Belfast Agreement, and there was no place now for men of violence.