United States special envoy for Northern Ireland Mitchell Reiss has told congressmen that the DUP's refusal to work with Sinn Féin was preventing progress on policing in the North.
Testifying before a House of Representatives sub-committee on international relations yesterday, Mr Reiss said Sinn Féin's reluctance to move on policing was partly motivated by doubts about the DUP's intentions.
"Sinn Féin is worried that the DUP may never enter into a government with it. If that is the case, if the DUP will never negotiate directly with Sinn Féin, why should Gerry Adams take the difficult step to have his party endorse the police service - a step some of his followers oppose?
"Why should Gerry Adams give away the last high card he has to play unless he is going to have some guarantee that this step will lead to the full restoration of local government," he said.
Mr Reiss rejected Mr Adams's charge that the Bush administration was partisan on the North and said Washington's role remained as a confidential adviser and honest broker to London, Dublin and the parties.
Mr Reiss praised Mr Adams for leading the republican movement away from violence but said the journey was not complete, noting that the Northern Bank robbery remained unsolved and the killers of Robert McCartney had not been brought to justice.
Sir Desmond Rea, chairman of the North's policing board, told the subcommittee that the PSNI leadership was committed to making the changes needed to make the police properly representative of society in the North.
"Police must be able to police every part of the community, recruits must come from every part of the community and most importantly officers must be able to go back to their homes without fear for their lives," he said.