Mr Trimble today called for the review of the Belfast Agreement to focus on continuing paramilitary activity ahead of any other issue.
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He said it would be quite inappropriate to conduct the "nuts and bolts" review while ignoring the "real problem".
In a letter to Northern Ireland Secretary of State Mr Paul Murphy he said it would be worse still to "artificially stretch that review to include that problem alongside a range of comparatively minor issues, which cannot be tackled in practice until the major issue is resolved".
Mr Trimble proposed that instead of the planned review of the Agreement there should be a review of paramilitarism along the lines of that carried out by former US Senator George Mitchell in 1999/2000 - but broader based and involving all the parties returned at the recent election.
"That review should be (a) short review and focused on the real issue," he said.
If that issue was sorted out the Assembly could be resumed and the nuts and bolts review held in the manner and context envisaged by the Agreement, said Mr Trimble.