"Republicans made a huge effort last year to achieve a comprehensive agreement which would resolve all the outstanding issues in the peace process.
When this failed the Sinn Féin leadership did not give up. We continued to work right up to Christmas to plot a course forward with the two governments. Now it looks like the ground is being laid to thwart these efforts.
The two governments need to think long and hard about whose agenda is being served by accusations, mainly from the DUP, attacking Sinn Féin and seeking to link our party to allegations of IRA involvement in the Northern Bank robbery.
From the beginning I held the view that the IRA was not involved in that robbery. The IRA has said it wasn't involved. I believe that to be the case. In recent weeks we have witnessed a brazen attempt to undermine the peace process by those elements of the British system — the securocrats — who have opposed the peace process since its inception, and in particular the republican contribution to it.
It is obvious that the series of raids, house searches and confiscation of property directed at republican activists, that have taken place in recent weeks, have had nothing to do with tracking down those responsible for the bank robbery.
Instead this has been a contrivance aimed at pointing the finger of guilt at republicans — even in the absence of any evidence. No one should doubt the significant damage done to all of this by these raids, by the conduct of the PSNI, and by the political opportunism of some. In this the enemies of the process have been aided by irresponsible reporting by some sections of the media and scurrilous and opportunistic attacks on Sinn Féin by political opponents.
Peter Robinson's accusation of duplicity by the Sinn Féin negotiating team is outrageous and I reject it. Mr. Robinson should review the DUPs conduct in the recent talks before making unsubstantiated charges. I have spoken to the British and Irish governments.
I told both that Sinn Féin will not countenance any attempt by the DUP, or by the governments or by any one else, to demonise and criminalise this party. Sinn Féin has a political mandate achieved at the ballot box. We will resist any attempt to marginalise, criminalise this party.
The campaigns to smash Sinn Féin all failed. Sinn Féin represents the majority of nationalists in the north. The DUP needs to come to terms with this political reality."