DUP leader Dr Ian Paisley said yesterday that he would share power with Sinn Féin if its mandate did not depend on criminality and insurrection and was based on democratic principles.
In an RTÉ radio interview in which Dr Paisley laughed and joked, he said he would shake hands with Bertie Ahern if they had something to shake on.
"I'll shake hands when we have a deal to shake hands on. I will certainly shake hands. I'll give him a grip that he has never felt in his hand in his life so that's why I'm keeping my hand in good order to make an impression," Dr Paisley said laughing.
Asked if he ever saw the day when he would be First Minister in government with Sinn Féin, Dr Paisley said it would not be SF/IRA as they knew it today.
"I have made it clear that as a democrat if people are turned up with a mandate and that that mandate does not depend on criminality, does not depend on insurrection, I'll have to face up to the fact that I've got to do business with them," he said.
He said he could see the day when he would be in a power-sharing government: "Yes, according to what you mean by power-sharing, power-sharing in the sense that everyone in it said no arms, no crime, democracy only, yes."
He said he could not say that he thought Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, chief negotiator Martin McGuinness and Gerry Kelly were going down the political road. He said he thought they were dishonest.
He said: "My anchorage was no insurrection and no criminality and if you have given up your criminality and given up your insurrection then we can do business with you on the basis of democratic principles.
"It would not be a very easy thing to do, I've said that, you can have hell every day, you know, but it could be done and it could be done by those who believe in democracy," Dr Paisley said.
He was encouraged by the strong opinions by politicians in the Republic about criminality.
"I'm encouraged, too, by the fact that Mr Ahern and his other ministers have condemned what has taken place," he said.
On the relationship between the DUP and the Irish Government, he said: "We did have certain basics that during the past weeks which came forth in Mr Ahern and Mr McDowell's statements - they have actually confirmed what I'm saying. You couldn't ask for any better than that in that sense."