The DUP warned last night that it is not required to move towards sharing power in an executive with Sinn Féin in advance of republican acceptance of policing.
The party insisted last night, after a meeting on its response to the St Andrews Agreement, that progress towards devolution hinged on Sinn Féin's endorsement of the PSNI.
In a statement issued late last night the party cast fresh doubt on the British and Irish governments' deadline of agreement by November 24th.
The statement said: "The DUP, in keeping with the outcome of its consultation process, wants to build on the areas of progress at St Andrews while recognising that other aspects of the proposals require work.
"The refusal by Sinn Féin even to begin giving support to the PSNI, the courts and the rule of law has clear adverse implications for the timetable laid out at St Andrews, indeed republicans are retreating to their pre-St Andrews position."
In a key section of the statement, the DUP added: "The governments stressed before during and after the St Andrews talks that the twin pillars for agreement are DUP support for powersharing and Sinn Féin support for policing.
"Clearly as Sinn Féin is not yet ready to take the decisive step forward on policing, the DUP is not required to commit to any aspect of powersharing in advance of such certainty." DUP leaders met Assembly members at Stormont yesterday and were last night briefing its 140-member executive on the document before issuing the statement.
"What we are saying is that this is very much work in progress, that good work has been done, but more needs to be done," said a senior DUP source.
DUP leader Rev Ian Paisley and other senior party figures have repeatedly made clear in recent weeks that unless Sinn Féin signs up to policing and law and order there is no possibility of the party providing formal endorsement of the agreement.
The DUP source said this was the message conveyed to Assembly members at Stormont and to the party executive last night. There were still a number of outstanding issues to be resolved, particularly around policing and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness making a commitment to support the PSNI and law and order before he and Dr Paisley could take the respective positions of Deputy First Minister and First Minister designate.
DUP sources continued to insist the party is receiving "overwhelming" support for its conditional policy stance on the agreement, notwithstanding criticism of the document from some grassroots supporters.
One source conceded that a party consultation meeting on the paper in Lurgan, Co Armagh, in late October was stormy at times with some people from the floor expressing serious reservations about the agreement.
The DUP's consultation period on the St Andrews Agreement concluded on Wednesday with "thousands" responding to its "Your Verdict" questionnaire, party sources said. The responses were extremely positive although this was not an endorsement of the Scottish deal but approval of the leadership's policy on the agreement, they added.
On Monday Sinn Féin also delivered qualified approval of the St Andrews Agreement.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said in New York last night he would call a special ardfheis on policing when the British government and the DUP conclude "with us in a satisfactory way on the outstanding policing issues".