The culmination of the search for peace in Northern Ireland had brought the islands of Britain and Ireland closer together than ever in their history, Dr Maurice Manning, Fine Gael leader in the Seanad, said.
The decommissioning of IRA arms was not a surrender, he told the House. It was a victory for constitutionalism and for peaceful democratic politics of the kind practised by the SDLP over 30 long, difficult and unrewarding years.
"If there is an ideological or a philosophical winner today, these winners are the mainstream parties. In all the spinning and all the euphoria, it is very easy to lose sight of the fact that the advocates of physical force, as they like to call it, have yielded and conceded to the old-fashioned advocates of democratic, constitutional politics."
Dr Manning said that this was a process where the distrust of generations, indeed of centuries, had been replaced by genuine full-blooded co-operation. It was the first time in the history of these two islands where friendship could replace the lingering ambivalence which had hitherto characterised relations between them.
"That might not have been the object of Sinn FΘin or the IRA when it had set out on its road , but it was one of the very productive, if ironical, results of what they had all been through and were all the better for."
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said the decision by the republican movement to decommission was a vindication for all those who had argued for a political way forward.
"Now we need to move quickly to capitalise on this opportunity . The institutions are the democratic core of the agreement. We need to see them fully back in business. David Trimble has now reappointed his ministers and has made it clear that, subject to the views of his party's executive, he will seek re-election as First Minister. I know that everyone in this House wishes him success.
"Now that ministers are back in place, we need to see each party reaffirming its commitment to playing its full part in all of the institutions and enabling the other parties to do likewise. The days of stop-start in the institutions must be finally and permanently put behind us.
"There will, of course, be those who will seek to play a disruptive and negative role - refusing to engage fully with the new dispensation as mandated by the people. They cannot be allowed to hold up our work."
Mr Cowen said that in particular he looked forward to early dates being set for outstanding meetings of the North/South Ministerial Council. The British government had promised a rolling process of demilitarisation, ultimately to a situation where normal levels of security prevailed. He looked forward to that work progressing quickly.
"Clearly, it would be enormously assisted were other paramilitary organisations to follow the IRA in putting their weapons beyond use. There is simply no place for violence in democracy. The people don't want it. The governments won't stand for it. The world is a changed place. You are for peace, or you are against the people.
" That is a message that must be heard loud and clear, particularly in the streets of north Belfast and Ardoyne. It is completely unacceptable for people to daily give vent to their grievances by hurling abuse and worse at the young schoolchildren of Holy Cross school. It must stop."
The Minister said he strongly welcomed the presence of nationalists and unionists on the policing board.
"But it is a great shame that republicans are not there beside them, giving voice to the concerns and interests of the communities they represent.
"They have shown good leadership in other areas. I hope that, in time, they will come on board for the new beginning to policing," he said.