The Alliance Party has called for a Northern Ireland Executive, including Sinn Fein ministers, to be set up "as quickly as possible". But the Ulster Unionists have rejected an Alliance claim that prior decommissioning by the IRA is not a precondition for Sinn Fein participation in government.
The Alliance chairwoman, Ms Eileen Bell, who represents North Down in the Assembly, said Sinn Fein membership of the executive would highlight that party's obligation to promote decommissioning.
"The [Belfast] agreement does not have any precondition for decommissioning in advance of the formation of the executive, and it must be done as quickly as possible to allow the Assembly to function properly and prepare for the handover of power to local politicians.
"Whilst there is no precondition, there is a moral obligation for Sinn Fein to use their best efforts to get the IRA to decommission and to bring about an end to the brutal beatings, intimidation and kneecappings which continue to be carried out week in week out.
"So far there is little evidence to suggest that Sinn Fein are actively engaging in discussions with the IRA to achieve decommissioning or cessation of these continuing acts of violence.
"The formation of the executive with Sinn Fein ministers must help to highlight the obligation they are under," Mrs Bell said in a statement.
Mrs Bell's interpretation of the Good Friday pact was rejected by the UUP Assembly member Mr Michael McGimpsey, who said the agreement stipulated that "those who hold office should use only democratic, non-violent means and those who do not should be excluded or removed from office".
The First Minister, Mr David Trimble, and the Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon, met for an hour last night for what were described as "wide-ranging discussions on the way forward".
The meeting also "touched on" the report which the two are to make to the Assembly on January 18th, on the agreement reached last month over new departments and North-South bodies.
There has been public disagreement between the UUP and the SDLP over whether the Assembly should "take note" of the report or formally adopt its proposals, thereby possibly triggering the formation of a shadow executive. However, a spokesman for Mr Mallon described yesterday's meeting as "cordial and workmanlike".
Meanwhile, there was widespread negative reaction among Northern politicians to the IRA's New Year message which, although it did not use the word "decommissioning", nevertheless warned against "attempts to resurrect old preconditions which collapsed a previous opportunity to secure a lasting peace settlement".
Mr Mark Durkan of the SDLP said it was an "unfortunate" statement which was being used by unionists to support their stance on decommissioning. "People are latching onto it already to justify the position they have adopted around the issue of decommissioning and it seems to me that the IRA statement is now something that has been taken and used in evidence by the very people the IRA were criticising in their statement."
Mr Peter Robinson, of the Democratic Unionist Party, accused the IRA of "expressly threatening the people of Northern Ireland".
The newly formed Northern Ireland Unionist Party linked the IRA statement with the view expressed by Mr Seamus Mallon that Sinn Fein should be allowed into government even without the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons.
Mr Billy Hutchinson of the Progressive Unionist Party said the peace process was in "grave danger" of collapse.