IF THE IRA walks away from the opportunity being presented by the joint paper on decommissioning, it would be committing hara kiri, according to Mr David Ervine of the Progressive Unionist Party.
Reacting to the document, he said it was now "make your mind up time" for Sinn Fein. "We are about to find out soon enough whether there will be an unequivocal ceasefire, and whether that ceasefire will be genuine. Testing the issue is the only way forward.
Mr Ervine said his party was "not delighted" with the paper but it had always known that this day was going to come, "a day when people said put your money, where your mouth is'". He criticised the stance of the Democratic Unionist Party, saying everybody had been hiding in bunkers for too long, and that it would be only a "stupid politician" who would refuse to go into talks in September.
He also repeated his willingness to talk to Sinn Fein. "If Sinn Fein, based upon the issues laid out by the Prime Minister, do enter talks, it will be incumbent upon us all to deal with the process no matter who is there.
However, Mr Nigel Dodds of the DUP said his party would not be entering talks with Sinn Fein in September. "It is quite clear that this is an invitation to IRA/Sinn Fein to come in on the basis of another tactical and bogus ceasefire which they only have to maintain for six weeks."
He said in the light of recent events, particularly the killing of two RUC men in Lurgan, the proposals would be rejected by "the vast majority of right thinking and decent people".
Mr Cedric Wilson of the UK Unionist Party echoed the views of Mr Dodds and symbollically tore up the document in front of Stormont buildings, describing it as a "sick joke" and a "terrorists' charter".
Mr Steven McBride of the Alliance Party welcomed the joint paper. "What we have here is a realistic and practical way to move forward, if people want to move forward." He said the IRA had now no excuse not to call a ceasefire.
Mr William Thompson, Ulster Unionist MP for West Tyrone, said the chances of everybody being involved in peace talks in September were "very remote".
He was not sure that Mr Blair believed in his own speech, and he had simply given Sinn Fein another opportunity. "They have got what they were looking for, a time limit and a time for when talks would take place."
He said that for the UUP to join talks with Sinn Fein there would have to be a complete guarantee that there was a permanent cease fire, adding that "it would be almost impossible to prove that within six weeks".