Republican and unionist politicians should visit interface areas together in a bid to ease sectarian tension, the Sinn Fein Mayor of Belfast said today.
Following another week of violence in the north and east of the city, Mr Alex Maskey said all sides had to work together to bring calm to flashpoint areas.
"What would be a better message of reconciliation and working together than David Ervine Progressive Unionist Party leader and me being in Cluan Place, being in Clandeboye, being on the Shankill Road with Ulster Unionists Chris McGimpsey or Michael McGimpsey or Reg Empey and other members of the city council party," he said.
"So let's say, this is a difficult period we're going through and the fact that people are being killed, the fact that people are continuing to be put out of their homes, people's houses are wrecked, in both sides of the community. Do those people not deserve better leadership from us?"
However, Progressive Unionist Party leader Mr David Ervine accused Sinn Fein of exploiting the problems at interface areas.
Mr Ervine, whose party is linked to the loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force, said republicans needed to accept more responsibility for the violence.
"It seems to me that Sinn Fein seem to be trying to propagandise the circumstance - let's have the American film crews, let's have the German film crews, let's get the world to hear my pain and my problem. Meanwhile, back at the ranch that's not dealing with the issues," he said.
"I want to deal with the issue. I want calm at the interfaces for the sake of the people who live there whether they're Protestant or Catholic."
Fresh violence flared on the streets of Ardoyne in north Belfast yesterday as rival sides blamed each other for earlier disturbances in Short Strand in the east of the city.
Shots were reportedly fired in the Protestant district of Glenbryn in the north of the city as several hundred people clashed along the interface with the Catholic Ardoyne.
The incident followed a night of sustained rioting along the peaceline in east Belfast separating loyalists from the nationalist enclave of Short Strand.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokesman said six plastic bullets were fired during five hours of serious rioting involving 300 people, which left 13 officers injured.
Several people on either side of the divide were also treated for injuries, and homes were damaged.
Army bomb disposal experts also defused a pipe bomb on the nationalist side at Clandeboye Drive yesterday and police said the remains of a pipe bomb were found in the loyalist Cluan Place.
However, Sinn Fein accused the security forces of turning a blind eye to some loyalist violence in the area.
Speaking on Radio Ulster's Inside Politics, Mr Ervine claimed republicans were holding Northern Ireland society to ransom over the party's refusal to back the police.
"It is a veto, it is wrong and it is the tail wagging the dog," he said.
However, Mr Maskey said more changes had to be made before his party could support the force.
PA