The Ulster Unionists have warned Sinn Fein that if the Provisional IRA does not "deliver" on decommissioning, the North's Executive will collapse. The UUP's Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister, Sir Reg Empey, said his party leader had stretched his constituency as far as possible.
Sir Reg was speaking on a visit to Strabane, Co Tyrone, yesterday. "The time has now come for Martin McGuinness, instead of giving platitudes, to deliver. That is what the unionist people want to see and that is the way to keep the Executive and to keep all the institutions."
Sir Reg criticised remarks by Mr McGuinness that Mr David Trimble should hold his nerve and realise that decommissioning was voluntary, not obligatory. "David Trimble has done more than anybody else to keep this show on the road. He has stretched our constituency beyond what we would have liked to have had to do in the first place.
"Martin McGuinness, remember this: it is a voluntary exercise to form the Executive. People had better understand that."
Mr Trimble said last night that republicans' commitment to the peace process would be called into question if there was no progress on decommissioning.
While progress had been made in the Assembly, it was too early to say that peace had been secured. "To have that assurance we look to Gen de Chastelain, who will make his report on or before the end of January. We hope that those who are in a position to enable Gen de Chastelain to make a positive report take the necessary action by then."
Mr Trimble predicted there would be a political crisis at Stormont if no progress on disarmament was made, resulting in the "temporary suspension" of the Executive. But people should not be concerned by the crisis that would arise, he said. "I am sure that any such crisis will also give us the opportunity to get things right and on a sound footing."
The dissident Ulster Unionist MP, Mr Willie Ross, yesterday said his party leadership was guilty of a "serious misjudgment" for signing up to the Belfast Agreement when it was obvious that major changes were to be made to policing.
The British Conservative Party's Northern Ireland spokesman, Mr Andrew Mackay, has said the Stormont Executive should be collapsed if there is no progress on decommissioning by the end of the month.
Speaking during a visit to Derry yesterday, Mr Mackay said the decommissioning deadline could not be permanently extended. "I would give everybody a few extra days' grace but you cannot keep on doing it," he said. "You cannot keep on saying: `Deadline over. Move on to the next deadline'."
Mr Gerry Kelly of Sinn Fein condemned a statement from the dissident republican group calling itself "Oglaigh na hEireann". He challenged the organisation to state if it was planning to launch an armed campaign.
"Oglaigh na hEireann", which comprises the bulk of the "Real IRA", had appealed for support among Provisional IRA grassroots who, it said, should not give their allegiance to "an elite clique or corrupt, treacherous administration".
Mr Kelly claimed the dissidents were "discredited and very small, with no support in republican areas. There is only one IRA," he added.