Political leaders in the North differed in their views on the importance of the decommissioning issue at the weekend. The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, said it was a "distraction", while the First Minister and Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, repeated his party's demand for the disposal of paramilitary weapons.
Mr Hume told a youth conference, organised by his party in Belfast, that the issue had been exaggerated. There had been several years of ceasefires which showed the paramilitaries were serious about the peace process.
When the executive was formed, ministers were obliged to pledge themselves to observe the Mitchell principles of non-violence. If that was abandoned and violence started up again, ministers linked with the paramilitary group concerned would lose office straight away. Thirdly, with the support of the UUP, an international body had been set up to deal with decommissioning, with a very distinguished and experienced person, Gen John de Chastelain, in charge.
Mr Hume said the parties should work to implement the agreement in full instead of arguing about "bits and pieces" of it.
However, Mr Trimble said the UUP in the Assembly was quite determined on this matter.
"I believe the issue will be resolved by the republican movement actually commencing the decommissioning of its weapons. Realities are also bearing in on them, and those realities are seen in the calls for decommissioning from the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State, from Seamus Mallon, from John Hume, seen also in the statements from Bertie Ahern, seen also in the way in which, when he stood in the Waterfront Hall, Bill Clinton put decommissioning first in his order of priorities as to things which have to be done.
"And after Omagh there is no significant segment of opinion anywhere that can see any reason why anyone should hold on to Semtex, to detonators, to hundreds of weapons. There are no excuses on this, and I don't think they are going to be able or that society is going to allow a handful of men who are only one element of the republican movement to defeat and destroy this process and to defeat the hopes that people have invested in it."
"If Sinn Fein is allowed to hold on to its weaponry it will destroy the process, and people should be under no doubt whatsoever about that," he added.
There was angry reaction to Mr Trimble's comments from the Sinn Fein assembly member for north Belfast, Mr Gerry Kelly, who said many people would be deeply disappointed by the speech. "He appears to be preparing the ground for a collapse of the Good Friday agreement." Asking if Mr Trimble had now joined the No camp in unionism, Mr Kelly added: "Mr Trimble is solely responsible for the deadlock and any resulting fall-out. He gave his word on Good Friday and is now breaking it."
Dr Philip McGarry, the Alliance Party president, called on Mr Trimble to face down the "troglodytes" within the UUP. "It is time for Mr Trimble to take his courage in his hands and implement the agreement he has, as First Minister, a public duty to uphold. This will mean facing down the tired old `no' men of Ulster politics and telling them the world won't stop for them."
The vice-chairwoman of the 32County Sovereignty Committee, Ms Bernadette Sands-McKevitt, said everyone in her organisation was "heart-stricken" by the Omagh tragedy.
In an interview to be published in the magazine Parliamentary Brief, she said: "As republicans we must do all in our power to ensure there are no repeats of Omagh, or any other similar tragedy, but the solution is not to be found by the acceptance of British rule."
Criticising the strategy of the Sinn Fein leadership, she said it was time to "face the cold hard facts".
"No matter how war-weary people are, no matter how sickened they are over Omagh, we have to ask ourselves whether British rule and all the injustices that entails will be ended through Stormont. Sadly, I believe the answer is becoming clearer daily. No," she added.