The Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, today strongly rejected claims that he was preparing his party to join the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
He was responding to claims from independent board member Mr Tom Kelly, that republicans were poised to join before the next Assembly elections.
Mr Adams said there was no prospect of this happening until the British government introduced new legislation.
"The last time I spoke to the British Government I said to them don't even bother mentioning policing unless you are prepared to bring forward the proposals," he said.
Mr Kelly, a member of the SDLP who sits as one of the independents on the board, accused Sinn Féin of "rank hypocrisy" in refusing to join.
"The leadership want to move and it all depends on what it thinks Republicans can swallow at one time, but I think they will move before the next election. It could be by Christmas," he said.
But Mr Adams said Britain was delaying changes to the legislation because the SDLP had signed up prematurely to the Policing Board.
He was speaking during a visit to the troubled Ardoyne area of north Belfast to speak to residents whose homes came under attack during another night of violence.
Catholic properties were hit by paint bombs and windows were smashed as rival loyalist and nationalist crowds clashed. British Army bomb experts defused two pipe bombs in the area while police were investigating claims that shots were fired from the Protestant Glenbryn estate.