The SDLP will work to renew the Belfast Agreement while vowing to keep direct-rule ministers under scrutiny, Mrs Brid Rodgers told a seminar in Belfast yesterday.
The party's deputy leader said : "We must ensure that policies and legislation promised are proceeded with. There can be no return to the neglect of the last period of direct rule".
Addressing party members, and workers' and business organisations she called for an end to paramilitarism, a repeal of suspension of the Stormont institutions, the return of power-sharing and the devolution of criminal justice powers.
"There must be an intensive effort to get our democratic institutions of government back up and running again and all of the agreement implemented. Our task now is to renew the agreement, not to review or renegotiate it."
The SDLP launched its Direct Rule Watch campaign on November 12th to scrutinise announcements by the Northern Ireland Office team of four junior ministers Each minister, under the Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, has responsibility for a range of departments which were controlled by single locally-elected ministers before Stormont was suspended last month.
"I look forward to the day we can disband this campaign and get back to the business of being in government together. There can be no alternative to local politicians dealing with local issues and working for local people," Mrs Rodgers said
The campaign's co-ordinator, Mr John Dallat, cited the Executive's achievements, including free public transport for pensioners, free care for the elderly, greater accountability on public expenditure and "positive local management of the foot-and-mouth crisis".
The East Derry assembly member claimed that economic confidence and employment would be badly affected by the loss of devolution.