The vice-chairman of the Northern Ireland PolicingBoard, Mr Denis Bradley, has called on dissident republicans to call a ceasefire.
Mr Bradley warned that unless the deadlocked political process is dragged out of crisis, both wings of militant republicanism could be plunged into conflict.
He said: "We are not a million miles away from that situation. There's no love lost there. The political vacuum is dangerous for everybody, including the Real IRA".
With elections to Northern Ireland's devolved Assembly on hold following the collapse of the power-sharing administration, he claimed there was only monthsto avert more bloodshed.
Mr Bradley was speaking just days after he had received bullets in the postfrom dissident terrorists.
Sources close to the Continuity IRA, who helped the "Real IRA" carry out the Omagh bombing that killed 29 peoplehave claimed new terror cells are in place across Britain.
But Mr Bradley called on them to take the opportunity of the anniversary to declare the campaign was over.