The Northern Secretary yesterday signed the order to suspend devolved government in Northern Ireland, saying local administration had "proved impossible in the short term".
Speaking at Hillsborough yesterday, Dr John Reid said he and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, were committed to the Belfast Agreement, which had brought great benefits to the people of the North.
"It has become clear that decisive action is needed in order to safeguard the progress made and tackle the remaining challenges," he added.
Dr Reid blamed a loss of trust between unionists and nationalists for the suspension and said that doubts about commitment to exclusively democratic and non-violent means needed to be removed.
"The time has come for people to face up to the choice between violence and democracy," he said.
He then announced the names of the two junior ministers who are to support the Northern Ireland Office team while the Stormont institutions are in suspension and direct rule is reimposed. They are Ms Angela Smith and Mr Ian Pearson.
He stressed that the difficulties related to one aspect of the agreement only, not the entire agreement or the peace process. He called on the Northern parties and "our colleagues in the Irish Government" to carry on with the process.
Dr Reid commended the Policing Board as one of the agreement's "finest achievements". He said he wanted their work to continue and would be calling on each of its 19 members to continue to serve.
He insisted that the nominated date of May 1st for the next Assembly elections stood and committed himself to finding a basis on which all the institutions of the agreement could be brought back into operation as soon as possible.
"We will make every effort to do that, along with the Irish Government and the parties," he said.
He returned to familiar lines, citing the achievements of the past few years since devolution. He said the agreement had increased prosperity, revitalised society, safeguarded rights "and - above all - saved lives".
The agreement was the template for political progress, he said, and claimed that suspension provided a breathing space before the process moved forward again.
He met the SDLP leader, Mr Mark Durkan, privately at Hillsborough yesterday afternoon and is expected to make a full statement to the House of Commons today.