The North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, has urged the SDLP to enter into new policing arrangements and made a renewed call to the IRA to put its arms beyond use.
The UUP leader yesterday stressed his party was not fully satisfied with policing legislation but were nevertheless prepared to support the new police service.
"Nationalists tell us there are things with regard to the Bill that they are not happy with. But I think any objective commentator would agree that the current state of affairs is closer to what nationalists wanted to what unionists wanted."
Addressing boys at St Patrick's College in north Belfast, Mr Trimble said the SDLP could tackle the outstanding operational matters unacceptable to the party through the Police Board. "Why are they not prepared to implement the report that they say they support?"
He said there was "no realistic possibility" of the British government introducing amended legislation and the Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, may be forced to choose to proceed without the SDLP or not establish the board.
"I think it is rather ironic at the moment that by failing to make appointments to the police board nationalists are giving us the moratorium [on policing] that we asked for," he said.
Mr Trimble challenged the IRA to adhere to its promise to put weapons beyond use, which led to the restoration of the political institutions last May.
He called on republicans to remove uncertainty and instability from the process and said until there was movement on arms "inevitably there is going to be a question about what their real intentions are".
He would not speculate on possible repercussions of a lack of movement by the IRA but stressed it would be a serious problem and was "not a technical matter. I hope that republicans will carry out the promises that they made.
"The sooner we can get issues resolved the better. I believe that efforts are being made to achieve progress - I hope they succeed."
He said there was currently "charge and counter-charge" about what was agreed during negotiations between Sinn Fein and the British government, which did not include the UUP. "What we are referring to are matters of public record and clearly out in the open."
He told the pupils that "considerable efforts" were currently being made to make the Belfast Agreement work. "We now hold in our own hands the power, the opportunity, to create our own future."
Meanwhile, the party leadership's ongoing series of consultation meeting with UUP grassroots was continuing and conclusions would be drawn "soon".