Adams: IRA must abandon armed struggle

"In an unusually direct appeal, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams asked Irish Republican Army members Wednesday to abandon their 35-year 'armed struggle' in Northern Ireland and rely exclusively on politics to advance their goals."

"Sinn Fein has spent several months on the defensive over the IRA, which has been observing a cease-fire since 1997 but remains active on several fronts. Police and other authorities blame the IRA for the Jan. 30 knife slaying of Catholic civilian Robert McCartney and a Dec. 20 bank robbery that netted a world-record $50 million in cash.