The Senate, the upper house of the Irish parliament, approved the anti-terror bill without a vote on Thursday evening.

The decision was taken only minutes after US President Bill Clinton arrived in Dublin on his Irish tour.

Mr Clinton was met by Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, who personally unveiled the terror crackdown only days after the Omagh atrocity, which killed 28 and injured 220.

Minutes after the Senate decision, the bill was submitted to the Irish Presidential Commission, in the absence of President Mary McAleese, who is on a state visit to Australia.

The commission, formed by Irish Chief Justice Liam Hamilton and the speakers of the Dail and the Senate, Seamus Pattison and Brian Mullooly, signed the documents that officially entered the bill into the statute book.

The proposals had been approved by the lower house without a vote after various opposition amendments were withdrawn almost 24 hours previously.

'Crush and dismantle fanatics'

Mr Ahern had told the Dail his government's attempt to crush paramilitary violence reflected the democratic wishes of the people of Ireland.

He said the Real IRA breakaway hardliners behind the Omagh bombing outrage that prompted the package "cannot hope to take on the Irish people and win".

Mr Ahern told the Dublin parliament the bombers had a choice.

Dail - approved the changes early on Thursday

"They can heed the will of the Irish people now and tell us - and convince us - that their violence is at an end for good.

"Or they can defy us to put them out of business."

If they did so, he promised to "crush and dismantle" them, although he was under no illusions as to the danger "such fanatics" posed to society.

"The onus is on us all to ensure that the democratic wishes of the Irish people are upheld."

The Irish premier also expressed hope for the future.

"Paradoxically, this evil act has brought forth an outpouring of goodness and of solidarity, a community of emotions and of convictions shared almost universally amongst people throughout this island."