Northern nationalists must take their places on a board overseeing the new police service to build confidence in the peace process, the Women's Coalition said today.
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The pro-Belfast Agreement Women's Coalition argued today support for the Policing Board would be a "more powerful affirmation of moving to exclusively democratic means than decommissioning will ever be."
The coalition said parties which nominated to the board would be making clear the service was the "only legitimate agent of law enforcement and they will support the police in that role."
"Effectively, sitting on the Policing Board means that there can be no private armies. Only the government can have responsibility for law and order."
"Any private army will, therefore, have to be challenged. They will have to understand that mandates are now drawn exclusively from the ballot box and no other source.
"[taking places on the Policing Board] as a confidence-building measure in the overall peace process would have precedent every bit as potent as unionists taking and sharing power with their nationalist counterparts. Again, it is time to trust."
The Women's Coalition was commenting amid mounting pessimism about the parties' ability to strike a deal on policing, IRA decommissioning and British army demilitarisation before UK general election.
The Taoiseach Mr Ahern said yesterday there needed to be a plan drawn up for postponing the process if a deal could not be achieved.
He said: "If it is not possible to get a comprehensive arrangement we will have to see what we can achieve to get us safely over the next six months or so. That, I think, will be the priority."
Round table talks involving the pro-agreement parties are expected to take place later this week in Hillsborough in Co Down.
They are likely to be hosted by Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Cowen.
With a recruitment drive for the police service already under way and reportedly attracting 4,359 calls from Northern Ireland and the Republic in its first 24 hours, Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams told Catholic secondary school pupils in Belfast yesterday he could not advise them to join.
PA