Mr Gerry Adams is planning to deliver a considered response next Saturday to the pledge by the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, to speedily implement outstanding elements of the Belfast Agreement if the IRA commits itself to peace and democracy.
Sinn Féin is due to hold a major internal party conference in the Republic next Saturday at which the party's president is expected to outline his verdict on Mr Blair's speech in Belfast on Thursday.
The conference was originally scheduled to plan political strategy in the wake of the British government's suspension of the Belfast Agreement institutions, according to Sinn Féin.
But now it will be used by Mr Adams to respond to Mr Blair's argument that Provisional republicans must choose between politics and paramilitarism.
The early response from Sinn Féin has been critical of the British government - although quite measured.
In Belfast yesterday Mr Adams said that republicans were initially angered and disappointed by the speech.
"Angered that Mr Blair has tried to reduce this crisis to a single-item agenda - the IRA - only days after the British Secretary of State, Dr John Reid, suspended the institutions for the fourth time," he expanded.
"And disappointed that Mr Blair did not take the opportunity to spell out how his government plans to honour its latest commitment to implement the Good Friday agreement.
"Indeed it appears to me that having been remiss in fulfilling its past obligations, the British government does not have a plan to implement the agreement."
Mr Adams said he was also disappointed that the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, had endorsed Mr Blair's argument.
"The two governments cannot abdicate their responsibilities. It is clear that what is required is that the British government should lift the suspension; the two governments should convene round-table talks, and they should - as promised on Monday - produce their plan to press ahead with the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement."
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, and the Northern Secretary, Dr Reid, are due to meet next week under the umbrella of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.
A series of bilateral meetings involving pro-agreement parties and the two governments are also expected in the weeks ahead, as politicians attempt to chart a course away from the current political difficulties.
Today the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, is to address his annual conference in Derry, where he is expected to repeat that the IRA must move towards disbandment if unionists are to again share power with Sinn Féin.
Mr Trimble is taking comfort from Mr Blair's concentration on appealing for movement from the IRA. Nonetheless, anti-agreement Ulster Unionists are expected to be critical of the speech.
South Antrim MP Mr David Burnside has already depicted Mr Blair's speech as long on rhetoric but short on any penalties against Provisional republicans.
"It's totally vacuous and empty," he complained.
"I see no action against the Provisional IRA/Sinn Féin who continue to be involved in domestic and international terrorism and criminality."
The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, also criticised Mr Blair for failing to outline how he might penalise republicans if the IRA did not disband.
He said Mr Blair had given republicans licence to hold the political process to ransom.
"This strategy merely allows republicans to dictate terms, safe in the knowledge that at some stage the government will pay their price," added Mr Robinson.
