The IRA must end all involvement in criminality if there is to be political progress in Northern Ireland, Democratic Unionist leader Rev Ian Paisley insisted tonight.
After submitting his 16-page document to British Prime Minister Tony Blair outlining his party's plans for phased devolution at Stormont, the North Antrim MP rejected Sinn Féin claims he was trying to hollow out the Belfast Agreement and was abusing trust.
"If a person justifies evil as the IRA have done, glorifies it, canonises it and then blames everybody else for mistrust when they are practising mistrust all the time, then the time has come to call a halt to all of it.
"Even with the so-called decommissioning which nobody in Northern Ireland really believes in, the IRA has continued to carry on," Rev Paisley said.
The DUP's document is believed to advocate a two-stage process leading towards the resumption of devolved government in Northern Ireland, with the first stage falling short of full power sharing.
The Ulster Unionists today also formally launched proposals for reviving the Assembly.
They advocated giving Northern Ireland's 108 MLAs a financial and legislative role while Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain and his ministerial team continued to run Government departments in the province.
However, the interim arrangement would only last up to April 2007 when the UUP argued parties would have to review their options.
UUP leader Sir Reg Empey said: "The Ulster Unionist Party is not interested in the Assembly resuming as a talking shop, the favourite route of some parties.
"However we cannot underestimate the damage republicans have done to the ability of the pro-Union community to tolerate an all-inclusive executive. It is immense and deep seated."
Following last July's IRA statement declaring an end to its armed campaign and the completion of disarmament last September, the British and Irish Governments hope new talks due to start on February 6th could provide the building blocks for reinstating devolution.
Mr Tony Blair will travel to Dublin on Thursday to meet Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to discuss their plan for the talks.
While unionist parties insist they will need time to be convinced that the IRA has really undergone a transition to a totally peaceful, law abiding organisation, nationalists are pressing London and Dublin to lift the suspension of the Assembly and force unionist parties to nominate ministers to a devolved government.
Sinn Féin MP Conor Murphy today claimed during a visit to Westminster that the DUP's proposals were about trying to turn back the clock.
"At the core of the problem is a reluctance by the unionist parties to share power with Sinn Féin," the Newry and Armagh MP said.
"That is a necessity. That is what is in the Good Friday Agreement.
Nationalist SDLP Assembly member Alban Maginness said today his party would have nothing to do with the DUP's shadow Assembly plans.
"Instead of stringing out negotiations for ever, instead of producing more and more demands, they and all the other parties need to be put under real pressure to get the Good Friday Agreement going again now," he said.
PA