The British government has been strongly criticised for announcing a paramilitary ceasefire monitor in Northern Ireland without consulting political parties or the Irish government.
The North's Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan said he had shared his concerns about the "unilateral" decision with the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at a meeting in Dublin today.
The SDLP leader said last night's announcement that a ceasefire auditor's post would be created was disappointing.
Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid said an independent expert would be appointed to examine the state of paramilitary ceasefires. The person taking up the post is to be named next week.
"All these are issues that have implications for the process at large and they should not be handled in this way," Mr Durkan said.
"The issues that this monitor proposal is meant to address are issues that we were actually all discussing in the implementation group in Hillsborough earlier and so any progress or proposals that are going to be undertaken in that regard, I believe should have been washed through and properly understood in that context."
Mr Durkan said ceasefire monitors were of little use when most of the violence is coming from people who are not on ceasefire.
He said he had worries about some of the terms used and would prefer a system where the governments would record all paramilitary activity north and south of the border.
"You don't need to create a new office to do that. You don't have to create a new windmill for unionists and anti-agreement elements to tilt at to provide the clear-sighted information that proves governments aren't turning a blind eye to paramilitary violence," he said.
"But it also forces everybody who is going to complain or point at paramilitary violence to look at the totality of paramilitary violence and not just selectively highlight some concerns about some organisations."
Mr Durkan said the move could have grave implications for the wider political process.
"We know that some people have sought this new post as a means of moving in the direction of sanctions, moving in the direction of exclusion," he said. Mr Durkan also called on Sinn Féin to stop the "propaganda war" with his party and join the cross-community Policing Board.
"They need to get in there and fight for change. They can't say they are fighting for change when by staying off the Policing Board, they are actually aiding and abetting those who are resisting change," he said. "They have expanded the anti-Patten base on the Policing Board by staying off it."
PA