One of my regrets is that it took so long, says Gerry Adams on end Provisional IRA's armed campaign two decades ago
The 2005 statement by the Provisional IRA announced the end of its armed campaign.
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He also said he regretted the number of lives lost during the Troubles as he reflected on the upcoming 20th anniversary of the
The IRA formally ended its 35-year paramilitary campaign on July 28 2005 when former republican prisoner Seanna Walsh read a statement.
While a number of ceasefires had been announced and collapsed since 1994, the 2005 statement saw the start of the decommissioning of weapons.
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The statement said that members had been instructed to use exclusively peaceful means, and not to engage in any other activities whatsoever.
Adams described the move as seismic, and an 'indication of confidence' by 'all the IRA' and not just its leadership.
He said: 'The statement came after there had been some sort of internal process, a huge vote of confidence in people.
'It took decades for it to be put together.
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'You have to go back to Father Alec Reid, Father Des Wilson, myself,
'REGRET IT TOOK SO LONG'
'It took all that time to do that, but that's what the IRA said in its statement, that they believed there was now a peaceful way to pursue republican and democratic objectives, and ordered its volunteers to not be engaged in any other activity whatsoever, and authorised contact with the International Commission on Decommissioning.
'It took decades and one of my regrets is that it took so long. In my humble opinion it took so long because the two governments, particularly the British government, only sought peace on its terms, which meant defeat the IRA, it meant defeat republicanism and that doesn't work, our people are resolute.'
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Gerry Adams regrets that it took so long to bring armed campaign to an end to Provos armed campaign
Credit: Reuters
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