Sinn Fein's opposition to the idea of a voluntary coalition government in Northern Ireland was today queried by a senior member of the cross-community Alliance Party.
Lagan Valley Assembly member Mr Seamus Close cast doubt on whether Sinn Fein would turn down being part of a voluntary coalition government in the Irish Republic and asked why it was opposed to doing the same in Northern Ireland.
"I would bet my bottom dollar that if Fianna Fail had said come on board to Sinn Fein after the last election, they would have jumped at the opportunity to be part of a coalition in the Irish Republic and would do so in future," he claimed.
"The only thing precluding them from being part of the coalition in the Irish Republic is the Taoiseach and other party leaders saying Sinn Fein is not going to serve in government until it deals with the IRA links.
"So that begs the question: Why is Sinn Fein opposing the review of the Good Friday Agreement if they are prepared to consider entering into a similar arrangement in the Irish Republic?"
Three parties have so far supported the idea of a voluntary coalition replacing the four party mandatory power-sharing executive which operated at Stormont until October 2002.
The Democratic Unionists, the Ulster Unionists and the Alliance Party have all suggested the voluntary coalition of two or more parties would provide a stable devolved government, as in Scotland.
The DUP also set out two other models for devolution in proposals unveiled nine days ago.