Sinn Fein issues assembly warning

Decommissioning remains a stumbling block in the process

Sinn Fein has warned the government not to suspend the Northern Ireland Assembly with less than two days left to break the political deadlock.

The British and Irish Governments are under pressure to decide the next step in the process as time is running out to save devolution.

In the absence of a last-minute agreement between the parties, Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid must decide whether to suspend the assembly temporarily or call an assembly election by midnight on Saturday.

Speculation has been growing that he is edging towards the option of calling a brief suspension.

A decision may be announced later on Friday.

Speaking at a news conference in Belfast on Friday, Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness said the government risked further alienating republicans and nationalists from the peace process.

Martin McGuiness: "Suspsion could damage peace process"

He said: "No-one should consider that the institutions can simply be suspended at the behest of David Trimble and then return in the weeks or months ahead to all of the other issues, without considering the effects of these actions especially on nationalist and republican opinion."

"If the British Government takes the Mandelson route it will again be in breach of the Good Friday Agreement.

"It will be preventing unionism from facing up to its responsibilities, and worse it will be rewarding them for their intransigence."

Mr McGuinness said Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble was "very wrong" when he said the IRA only responded to pressure.

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However, he said that while the IRA would make its own decision on how to react to any suspension, Sinn Fein would not walk away from the peace process.

Dr Reid and Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen spoke by telephone to discuss the situation on Friday.

'Lesser of two evils'

Earlier, Alban Maginness a senior member of the nationalist SDLP said that suspension would be the 'lesser of two evils' but he warned it should only last a short period of time.

Alban Maginness: "Suspension is lesser of two evils"

If Dr Reid suspends the assembly temporarily, it would buy another six week's in which further talking could take place.

On BBC Radio Ulster, Mr Maginness said: "I believe fresh elections would create even more uncertainty and difficulties. It would make the situation even worse."

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has called on Dr Reid to suspend the assembly in the absence of actual decommissioning.

The government's options are:

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

Mr Trimble resigned as first minister on 1 July, because the IRA had not begun to disarm.

This triggered a six-week period during which the parties held talks to try to find an agreement.

However, the Ulster Unionists and the other pro-Agreement parties did not fully accept the package of proposals put together by the British and Irish Governments to try to end the deadlock on decommissioning, policing and demilitarisation and political instability last week.

Mr Trimble has said Thursday's IRA statement - that it had agreed a scheme to put its weapons beyond use - did not go far enough and he has demanded a timetable for the handover of arms.

Peter Robinson, deputy leader of the Anti-Agreement DUP, meanwhile, has called on Dr Reid to dissolve the assembly and call an election.