Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams today continued his US visit with a call on the British government and unionists to "knuckle down" and build on the IRA's re-engagement with the decommissioning body.
Mr Adams told a St Patrick's Night dinner in Atlanta in Georgia he was disappointed the British government had not honoured its commitment to scale down the military presence in republican areas.
Mr Adans was returning to New York last night where he was expected to attend further engagements.
Speaking from Atlanta Mr Adams also repeated demands for a permanent lifting of the unionist ban on Sinn Féin ministers attending North-South Ministerial Council meetings.
Mr Adams said: "It is a pity that the space created by the IRA's re-engagement with the de Chastelain Commission has not been utilised by either the UUP or the British government to resolve some of the issues with which they have held up this process.
"On the policing issue it is clear the British are going to have go back to implementing as a minimum the Patten recommendations and amend the legislation.
"At Hillsborough they said to us they were prepared to do that.
"One of the positive outcomes of the Sinn Féin engagement with the British government was the securing of that commitment but the Blair government needs to knuckle down to that legislative change in a detailed way.
"Demilitarisation clearly needs to be addressed. There can be no excuse for the British army presence in areas."
Mr Adams said the North's First Minister Mr David Trimble was not helping matters by signalling the ban on Sinn Féin ministers attending North-South ministerial meetings may be lifted only to be reimposed it if he is not satisfied with the IRA's contacts with the disarmament commission.
Mr Adams also criticised the Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid for saying yesterday it was reasonable to expect a lifting of the sanctions in return for substantial engagement by the IRA with the de Chastelain Commission.
PA