Mr Gerry Adams has said he has "no problem" with meeting the new chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Mr Hugh Orde.
Such a meeting would be unprecedented and the Sinn Féin president admitted many republicans would be opposed to it.
Republican Sinn Féin said Mr Adams had clearly begun to pave the way for acceptance of "the British-paid partitionist police force".
Mr Orde, a former deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, was appointed PSNI chief constable in May. Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics on Saturday, Mr Adams said he had currently "no plans" to meet Mr Orde. However, he added: "I have no problem with actually meeting him."
He said as Mr Orde came from a "different policing culture", he could possibly "make some changes".
In June, Mr Adams had ruled out any suggestion of meeting the chief constable.
Ms Geraldine Taylor of Republican Sinn Féin said: "Gerry Adams's latest statement is not unexpected. He is preparing the way for supporting a British-paid partitionist police force, which he will eventually ask young nationalists to join.
"The provisionals have broken every pledge they ever made. Their previous opposition to supporting a renamed RUC is just as shallow as was their 'no return to Stormont' and 'no decommissioning'."