Northern Ireland's first minister, David Trimble, says it's time for action by the Republican movement to ensure disarmament by paramilitary groups gets underway.

Speaking before talks with the British prime minister, Tony Blair, Mr Trimble said he believed a report by the independent disarmament commission later this month would be positive, but if the Republican movement failed to deliver, it would be clear where responsibility lay for the damage to the peace process.

Disarmament was due to begin soon after the creation of new political institutions at the end of last year and Mr Trimble says he'll resign from the power-sharing executive if no guns have been handed in by next month.

That's when his Protestant Unionist Party is meeting to review progress in the peace process.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service