The Rev Ian Paisley will have to talk directly to Sinn Féin sooner or later, he was told today.
During exchanges in the House of Commons, Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain told the Democratic Unionist leader he was not prepared to freeze Sinn Féin out of the Assembly or a power sharing government because republicans had committed themselves to a democratic, peaceful political path.
Mr Paisley asked the minister during Northern Ireland Questions why he would not face up to the fact that there was one party that would not agree that all parties should be totally committed to peaceful and democratic means.
The North Antrim MP suggested the Government needed to tell republicans:
"There's only one way in and that way is for everyone. "You have not kept that way, therefore you have to be excluded.
"The time has come when you have to make that decision, whether you are going to say to those that agree with terrorism, they can't be in the government."
Northern Ireland's political process has been stalled for almost three and a half years, with the province's Assembly and power sharing executive suspended.
Mr Hain rejected any suggestion today that Sinn Féin had not committed itself to peaceful and democratic means before and after last year's IRA statement declaring an end to its armed campaign.
"If you are saying that I don't think you are actually judging the evidence that's been presented to us," the Northern Ireland Secretary responded to Mr Paisley.
"If you are asking me to bar a very important part of the Northern Ireland political constituency from representation in the Assembly or a power sharing government, then I can't agree with you on that.
"We have got to make progress."
"Your party needs to talk to the other parties and I would say at some point, sooner or later, your party needs to talk to Sinn Féin since they are the second largest party in Northern Ireland."