A united Ireland can and will be achieved through peaceful, democratic and political means, according to Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams.
He said: "There is a peaceful way to achieve political change, equality, justice and ultimately Irish freedom. There is no reason or excuse for armed actions."
With the Rev Ian Paisley under mounting British and Irish pressure to agree to a new power sharing executive with republicans at Stormont, Mr Adams has moved in a bid to end lingering unionist doubts about his party's commitment to the process, especially on policing.
London has warned the Northern Ireland Assembly will be dissolved unless a deal is reached by Monday's deadline. Senior members of Mr Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party are due to meet in Belfast on Saturday for talks to decide if they will sign up.
Both sides are also to have further talks with British prime minister Tony Blair as well as the British chancellor Gordon Brown to hammer out a massive economic package which they claim will be critical to any settlement.
Some of Mr Paisley's MPs believe they should hold back at this stage before entering into government with their bitter political rivals.
But in a major interview with the republican newspaper An Phoblacht, Mr Adams attempted to reassure them his party was serious about entering a new and historic arrangement.
He said: "The IRA has removed itself from the picture. It is committed to advancing republican and democratic objectives, including a united Ireland, and all its Volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means."
On policing, Mr Adams said all Sinn Fein ministers would endorse the pledge of office next Monday, March 26, including the commitment to fully endorse the PSNI.
There was nothing conditional in that, he added.
"Sinn Fein is delivering on policing: we have been delivering on what we promised and we will continue to do so. We have been actively giving support to the police by encouraging those with information on crimes to go to the PSNI."
The failure of the police to behave in a fair and non partisan way had in the past constituted political policing, he said.
Sinn Fein would hold the police to account on the basis of fairness, impartiality and objectivity, and that meant legitimate criticism and challenge if particular actions by the police appeared not to live up to these expectations, as unionist politicians asserted in the past.
Earlier in the interview, Mr Adams said the restoration of the political institutions with unionists, under the leadership of Mr Paisley, into genuinely inclusive structures would represent an enormous step forward in the essential process of national reconciliation. It would provide a powerful example of peacemaking and reconciliation to the international community and to others seeking to find a way out of conflict.
There were still those he said, on the unionist side who questioned republican intentions; who continued to raise questions about the IRA or Sinn Fein's commitment to policing.
He said: "For some it may be impossible to provide reassurance. The reality is that all of us are participating in a process of fundamental change, unprecedented in Anglo-Irish history.
"This is enormously challenging for all of us but especially for those who want to hold to the past. That is not going to happen. All of that is gone. Sinn Fein has no hidden agenda. We are not trying to con, or dupe or mislead anyone, especially unionists.
"Sinn Fein is an Irish Republican Party. Our goal is an end to partition and the creation of a united, independent Ireland in which all of the people live together in mutual respect and on the basis of equality.
"We know that we have a job of work to do to convince unionists — even a section of unionists — that this is the best future for them and the rest of the people of this island, and we are up to that challenge.
"The fact is that the war is over. The peace process has created for the first time ever in our long and troubled history a peaceful and democratic option for achieving a united Ireland."
PA