It is up to republicans, and not the DUP, to determine whether a Stormont powersharing administration is possible by March 26th, DUP leader the Rev Ian Paisley asserted when launching his party's Assembly election manifesto yesterday.
Any delay in establishing devolution would be the responsibility of Sinn Féin and the IRA rather than the DUP, Dr Paisley said when unveiling the 64-page manifesto, Getting it Right, at the Northern Ireland Science Park at Queen's Island, east Belfast.
A powersharing Northern executive was chiefly contingent on republicans proving their support for the PSNI and the rule of law, he said.
Asked was devolution possible by the St Andrews Agreement deadline of March 26th, Dr Paisley replied: "You are not asking the question of the right person. You should be asking IRA/Sinn Féin."
North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds said it was a question of "delivery, delivery, delivery". He added: "The people of Northern Ireland can rest assured that we will deliver devolution on the right terms for all of our people."
Dr Paisley also said power-sharing would depend on the British government providing a huge financial package to bolster the Northern economy and enhance the prospects of devolution succeeding.
Furthermore, the British government must establish a system of sanctions which would ensure that any party defaulting on its commitments to peace and democracy would be excluded from the Northern executive, without forcing the dissolution of the executive.
Dr Paisley said the DUP was ensuring the future of the North's union with Britain which would still be in place in the time of "our children's children's children". He added that in any new Northern executive the DUP "will have a veto on all major decisions and total control of North-South relations".
Under any new administration Sinn Féin would not have control of policing and justice. The notion that there could be a Sinn Féin "chief constable [ Gerry] Kelly is a myth and a farce", Dr Paisley said.
Reference was made at the launch to recent remarks on policing by some Sinn Féin politicians, in particular by Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew when she said she "personally wouldn't" notify the PSNI if she spotted a group of armed dissident republicans.
Dr Paisley and DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson and Mr Dodds indicated that such a position would wreck the prospect of powersharing. There could be no distinction between "civic and political policing", they said.
Sinn Féin was trying to "dilute its ardfheis" motion, added Dr Paisley.
The DUP leader also signalled that intensive negotiations would take place in the period after polling day on March 7th up to March 26th to establish if a deal could be achieved.
"I look forward to a great victory. I look forward to going back to Downing Street with the electorate behind me to negotiate the things that must be negotiated before we have any agreement," he said.
Dr Paisley also warned unionists that they should vote for the DUP to ensure that Sinn Féin did not win most seats, which would entitle Martin McGuinness rather than the DUP leader to the post of first minister.
The manifesto further states that the DUP's long-term strategy is to do away with compulsory powersharing to be replaced by "voluntary coalition".
While reconciled to power-sharing in the right circumstances, Dr Paisley said he did not favour it "per se" because it was contrary to "proper democracy".
