Reaction to the IRA's anouncement of an end to its armed campaign from at home and abroad.
The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern: "I welcome the commitment by the IRA to end its armed campaign, to complete the process of decommissioning and to use exclusively peaceful means. If the IRA's words are borne out by verified actions it will be a momentous and historic development."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair: "I welcome the statement of the IRA that ends its campaign, I welcome its clarity, I welcome the recognition that the only route to political change lies in exclusively peaceful and democratic means... There is at least some hope today that the future will indeed be such as to banish the ghastly, futile violence of Northern Ireland forever."
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams: "Today's decision by the IRA to move into a new peaceful mode is historic and represents a courageous and confident initiative. It is a truly momentous and defining point in the search for a lasting peace with justice ... Republicans should not be surprised that our opponents will continue to try to defeat us. And in the short-term initiatives by the IRA are unlikely to change the attitude of those who oppose us whether in London or Dublin or within unionism."
The White House: "This IRA statement must now be followed by actions demonstrating the republican movement's unequivocal commitment to the rule of law and to the renunciation of all paramilitary and criminal activities. We understand that many, especially victims and their families, will be skeptical. They will want to be certain that this terrorism and criminality are indeed things of the past."
The DUP: "The history of the past decade in Northern Ireland is littered with IRA statements which we were told were `historic', `ground-breaking' and `seismic'. Even on the face of the statement, they have failed to explicitly declare an end to their multi-million-pound criminal activity and have failed to provide the level of transparency that would be necessary to truly build confidence that the guns had gone in their entirety."
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain: "It opens up the prospect that devolved government can be re-established in Northern Ireland and on an inclusive basis. We ... look forward to confirmation by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning that the IRA's arsenal has been decommissioned."
Special US Envoy to Ireland Mitchell Reiss: "The statement is very encouraging, it's potentially historic, and we need to wait and see over the next weeks and months if these words can be translated into deeds to determine if it is truly historic."
Fine Gael: "The statement issued by the IRA today has the potential, if fully delivered on, to repair the damage done to public confidence in the northern peace process. However, IRA statements on their own are no longer sufficient to convince people. Too often in the past seven years we have witnessed promising statements followed by false dawns."
Senator Edward Kennedy: "Hopefully, this statement means we're finally nearing the end of this very long process to take guns and criminality out of politics in Northern Ireland once and for all. I look forward to the final act of decommissioning, and the verification that paramilitary activity and criminality have ended, and the all-important restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly."
South African President Thabo Mbeki: "By renouncing violence, committing itself to handing in its arms and seeking political means to realize its aspirations, the IRA has clearly chosen the peace path. In this it has set an example to the rest of humankind, in much the same way that South Africans chose such a course, despite years of conflict and racism, in the early 1990s ..."
Ulster Unnionist Leader Reg Empey: "I can't take any statement from the Republican movement at face value because we've had that many of them in the past. Let's wait and see what happens. If the arms are dealt with, if criminality is dealt with. With people getting proof of that happening, that will have far more impact than any statement that anyone will make."
Former IRA member Tommy Gorman: "This is not an abject or complete surrender ... The IRA Army Council is probably going to be kept busy as a board of directors looking after assets that are something like 150 to 200 million pounds but some members are thugs and bullies and will also need protecting. There's probably a secret agreement allowing a certain number to carry weapons."
University of Ulster Lecturer on Terrorism: James Dingley: "They definitely haven't gone away. It's very clear from the statement that the IRA Army Council is still in control and telling people what to do. To maintain that degree of control they are going to have to maintain some kind of arms.
US Republican congressman:Peter King: "a truly defining moment in Irish history". He said it was the "most dramatic step forward in advancing the peace process ... I can understand the Unionists having some scepticism, which is why I think it will take several months to go back into government, but there's no reason negotiations can't start immediately."
US Republican Senator:John McCain: "This promise ... has the potential to spark a new, brighter day in the difficult history of Northern Ireland," he said.