Adams: Do not suspend assembly

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has urged the British Government not to "concede" to Ulster Unionists by suspending the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Mr Adams also claimed Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble was threatening to pull his ministers out of the power-sharing executive unless the institutions are suspended.

This has been denied by Ulster Unionist spokesman Sir Reg Empey.

The comments came after the UUP, Sinn Fein and SDLP held separate meetings with Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid at Hillsborough Castle on Thursday.

We have made it very clear to Dr Reid that the British Government should not suspend the institutions

Gerry Adams

It also followed an IRA statement which said it had agreed a scheme to put its weapons "completely and verifiably beyond use".

Mr Trimble has called for the institutions to be suspended because he said there had been no actual decommissioning of IRA weapons.

But Mr Adams said: "David Trimble, in pursuit of his objective of suspension of the institutions, is threatening to withdraw UUP ministers unless the British Government suspends the institutions.

"We have made it very clear to Dr Reid that the British Government should not suspend the institutions."

However, Ulster Unionist Sir Reg Empey said his party had made no threats and no recommendations about what should happen next.

John Hume refused to commit on suspension

"We will make our own decisions on whatever we do in our own time," he said.

Meanwhile, SDLP leader John Hume has refused to commit himself on whether the government would be better calling fresh assembly elections rather suspending the institutions.

Speaking after meeting Dr Reid, Mr Hume said: "We have suggested to them that the best way forward, given the current situation is for both goverments to work with all parties to fully implement the package they have set out".

Arms move

Earlier, Mr Trimble said republicans could still salvage the process by getting rid of their weapons.

But he said that if the IRA did not move on the arms issue, the British Government should suspend the assembly for a short period of time to give republicans more time to deal with the weapons issue.

The Ulster Unionists are demanding a timetable for a handover of weapons and have said the IRA move does not go far enough.

The future of the Stormont Assembly is uncertain

Without some unexpected breakthrough, the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland may face suspension.

Mr Trimble said he welcomed the IRA's latest statement confirming it had agreed a method for decommissioning with the arms commission.

But he said: "We have had words, we have had promises. Promises have not been kept."

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He said it would be "pointless" to suspend the assembly for a six-week period "unless it is clear that something is going to happen."

"The IRA's statement could be taken to mean that they intend at some point to decommissioning, but the question remains: At what point?"

Will statement unlock political impasse?

"David Trimble must stand indicted as the leader of an Ulster Unionist Party which is walking away from this process."

In its statement, the IRA said it would continue to meet the arms body - which it has met eight times since March.

However, it made no reference to a timetable for the actual decommissioning of weapons.

The IRA also said "ongoing attempts in some quarters to prevent progress" should "not be permitted to succeed" and that it will "continue to monitor" political developments.

The government's options

dissolve the assembly and call an election

impose a tactical one-day suspension which buys six weeks for further talks

impose an unlimited suspension and a review

combination of suspension, review or election

may try to find another way forward

The current crisis was precipitated by the resignation of Mr Trimble as first minister on 1 July, because the IRA had not begun to disarm.

To break the current deadlock the British and Irish Governments put forward proposals aimed at fully implementing the Good Friday Agreement.

However, none of the main pro-Agreement parties has accepted in full the package which focusses on the issues of arms, policing, demilitarisation and the stability of the political institutions.

In order for the assembly to survive in its current form, the parties must elect a new first and deputy first minister before midnight on Saturday.