Quinn murder:The recent murder of south Armagh man Paul Quinn illustrated that the republican paramilitary "murder machine" must be dismantled once and for all, Newry and Armagh MLA Dominic Bradley told the SDLP conference on Saturday.
Mr Bradley did not specifically refer to the IRA but said that the murder of Mr Quinn was carefully planned, organised and co-ordinated and was not carried out by "some ad-hoc gang".
He said the republican "murder machine" must be dismantled in such a comprehensive fashion that it could not be reassembled and that there would be no more "brutal murders" such as that of Mr Quinn.
Mr Bradley said that the community must hold out for justice and stand with the Quinn family so that those responsible for the killing were brought before the courts. The community must stand against "red-diesel republicanism", he added.
Mr Bradley was speaking during a debate on political affairs where delegates passed a motion calling for the immediate creation of the North-South Parliamentary Forum.
North Belfast MLA Alban Maginness said the forum posed no threat to unionism and would be "enormously beneficial" to both traditions on the island of Ireland. "The forum fits in with the objectives and ideals of the SDLP and is an instrument to try to achieve reconciliation," he said.
South Down MP Eddie McGrady, the new chairman of the SDLP, said the forum must be promoted. "We need closer harmonisation with the rest of Ireland, not with the rest of Britain," he said.
Mr McGrady accused Sinn Féin of selling nationalism and republicanism short in the Northern Executive. He said Sinn Féin had "allowed the DUP rule the roost".
West Belfast MLA Alex Attwood accused the DUP Finance Minister Peter Robinson of seeking to dilute the North-South Ministerial Council.
He predicted that Mr Robinson would facilitate the formation of the forum but at the expense of undermining one of the North-South bodies.