Mr Jeffrey Donaldson of the Ulster Unionist Party has said the IRA statement proved their scheme to put weapons beyond use was no more than a tactical ploy to wrong-foot unionists.
Mr Donaldson said: "The fact that they have so hastily withdrawn the offer indicates no intention, at this stage, to make serious movement on decommissioning.
"Taken together with the arrests of three senior IRA members in Colombia, it indicates to us that the IRA is as wedded to the theology of revolutionary terrorism having not embarked upon the transition to peace and democracy."
Ulster Unionist minister Mr Michael McGimpsey described the withdrawal of the IRA's proposal for decommissioning as "short term manoeuvring" by republicans.
"The Sinn Fein/IRA leadership knows that the withdrawal of its proposal amounts to nothing more than a cynical publicity stunt.
Mr Peter Robinson, deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, said the British government must now withdraw any concessions it had offered in policing and demilitarisation.
"The only purpose of the IRA's activity is to extract concessions from the Government. That's why they made a tactical cessation of violence.
"They have no intention of completing verifiable decommissioning. It is simply a case of using words to gain more from the Government.
"Tony Blair must now take everything off the table that has been offered to the IRA."
In the light of the arrests in Colombia, Mr Robinson also called on the Government to exclude Sinn Féin from the talks process.
"It is now clear that the republican movement is still wedded to terror. They are involved in terrorist activity across the world," he added.
A spokeswoman for the De Chastelain Commission said they had heard the IRA statement but had no comment to make.
PA