A lot more work needs to be done before the IRA can be persuaded to disarm, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said today.
Mr Adams, speaking after the marathon round of talks aimed at restoring devolution to Northern Ireland, said that at the moment there was not enough on the table to secure a deal.
The talks ended late last night with the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister announcing elections would be put back by four weeks to May 29th to allow parties to consult their members. However, the Ulster Unionist leader said he would not bring any document to members until the IRA moved to disarm.
"The question of going to the IRA doesn't even arise at this moment if we can't get David Trimble to stay in one place long enough to find out exactly where he is on all of these issues," Mr Adams said.
He said that while progress had been made with the British government over policing, criminal justice and human rights there was still unfinished business.
"At the moment if there isn't enough to get a doable deal between all of the parties then we'll have to judge all of those other matters in that context," he added.
One of the major stumbling blocks preventing a deal is the Ulster Unionists insistence on sanctions imposed on Sinn Fein if the IRA is deemed to be continuing activity.
The Sinn Féin president repeated his view that this was unacceptable.
"Sinn Fein is not against parties or party members being held to account if they are in breach of commitments or pledges of offers or house rules.
"We cannot accept and will not accept the Government stepping outside the Good Friday Agreement to bring in sanctions which are aimed at us for something another organisation may or may not be responsible for," he added.
In the House of Commons in London Mr Blair said he believed a "we have reached the basis for the final breakthrough".
"It has to be done on the basis of a complete cessation of all paramilitary activity and the implementation of all remaining parts of the agreement, on the part of the governments and the part of the other parties.
"I think there is real hope for that breakthrough. But obviously discussions over the next few weeks will tell us whether that hope is well founded or not," he said.
Earlier the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, told the Dáil that the Hillsborough talks were "an exercise in optimism and trust". She said the two governments would meet the parties again in early April to put forward a number of proposals.
"There have been difficulties, there is no doubt about that," Ms Harney said.
"But nobody should underestimate the progress that was made and the intention is for the two governments to meet again with the parties in early April to put some proposals to the parties.
"I think the parties are aware privately of what those proposals are and there is now a period of reflection for the parties to sell those proposals to their members."
Ms Harney said everybody recognised that it was preferable to delay the elections by a month so that parties would have enough time to sell the proposals.
"I think that is understandable and appropriate under the circumstances," she added.