Sínn Fein President Gerry Adams today denied IRA orchestration in recent violence in north Belfast and said that attacks on Protestant homes and property were against the beliefs of republicans.
Speaking today at a Belfast press conference, Mr Adams appealed to any nationalists involved in the violence to stop.
He denied DUP claims that the IRA had brought in rioters from outside to attack Protestant homes last night the Whitewell area of Belfast.
"All of the reports from the areas, and our sense of this, is that there is an orchestrated campaign taking place involving the main loyalist organisations. I want to state emphatically that there is no republican orchestration," he said.
But a north Belfast community worker rejected his claims.
Mr Brian Dunn, spokesman for White City Residents, said the disturbances in which two coffee jar bombs were thrown at Protestant homes had been well organised.
"Who was behind this if it wasn't republicans? That had to be planned by someone," he said.
Speaking on the peace package being put together to save the Belfast Agreement, Mr Adams said: "Sínn Fein wants to see progress. We want to see the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. The onus is on the two governments is to ensure that their package delivers the Agreement in the terms agreed."
But he was critical of the position outlined by the two governments after the Weston Park talks saying it fell far short of the Belfast Agreement.
He said the package put forward "must return to the Agreement if it is to succeed."
He added that Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) should be left to resolve the arms issue as proscribed by the Agreement.
"There is a singular fixation on IRA guns which are silent. When theRUC is using lethal force. When the UDA and other loyalists have beenkilling and attempting to kill. The only armed threat to the Agreement is coming from these elements. I appeal to them to silence their weapons."
However, the Ulster Unionists responded by insisting republicans cannot escape their obligations on disarmament.
Assembly member Mr Fred Cobain said: " . . .the only reason that the current impasse has occurred is that Republicans have consistently failed to honour their commitments on disarmament."
"There can be no more fudges and no more excuses," he added.
Additional reporting PA
