The Sinn Fein leader, Mr Gerry Adams and the DUP's Rev Ian Paisley have both held press conferences this evening at which they denied their parties were responsible for the impasse in the peace process.
Mr Adams said the issues on decommissioning raised by the Taoiseach and the British prime minister were "a matter for the IRA."
However, he added that he felt "great progress had been made" and expressed his confidence that the IRA would be able to "resolve these issues".
He said "this demand for humiliation" from the DUP was now holding up the peace process.
Meanwhile the DUP's Dr Ian Paisley said today's events had proved "Unionists can hold their heads high".
"Nothing has been surrendered and we can look our enemies in their face," he insisted at a press conference.
He said Mr Blair had made it clear the process collapsed because of the "inability of the republican movement" to decommission it arms.
"Nobody should be in any doubt" that it was the IRA that was at fault, he said and described the photographs issue as "an excuse" by paramilitaries.