The British government "will meet the concerns" of nationalists on policing, demilitarisation and the political institutions, the Northern Secretary said yesterday after a day of talks with pro-agreement political parties.
Dr John Reid said movement on the arms issue could "only be achieved if we are making progress on other fronts as well. That is why the other elements of the Good Friday agreement have to be implemented as well.
"But we are certainly saying that we can't make progress on all the other aspects if someone or some group is going to say `but we are not going to do our best to carry out our obligations'," he added.
Dr Reid was speaking after seven hours of talks with the pro-agreement parties in Hills borough Castle, which he chaired jointly with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen.
Mr Cowen ruled out the possibility of a second suspension of the political institutions and said decisions needed to be taken on the basis of the implementation of the agreement, "not in the context of any other proposal or requirement. It is the job of democratic governments and parties who are committed exclusively to democratic politics to come up with the political answers to keep this process going." Mr Cowen stressed the process could not survive on "words alone" but had to be based on mutual trust and goodwill.
"The necessary steps need to be taken to ensure that public confidence is sufficient to keep this process going . . . that includes everybody doing what they have to do."
The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, made his strongest call yet for the IRA to move on arms. He said decommissioning was the principal issue holding up progress in the negotiations and only the parties linked to paramilitaries could move on it.
All parties had pledged they were committed to totally peaceful and democratic methods and there was no need "for weapons of any description to be anywhere. They should be got rid of as soon as possible to the satisfaction of the international commission.
"My request is to Sinn Fein and the IRA to demonstrate now, as soon as possible, because they know that if they do that it would allow progress to be made very, very rapidly."
However, speaking after his party's meeting with the two governments, Mr Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein said "it was time for people to get real" on the arms issue.
"At each stage of this process from here on in, we are going to be putting it up to, not just to the two governments, but to all the others; we'll not deal with this issue on our own. There is a collective responsibility and they are going to have to take up their share of the burden."
Mr McGuinness said it was time the British government "honestly" implemented the accord after "ditching" the arrangement reached last May following similar rounds of negotiations at Hillsborough.
The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, who has threatened to resign as the North's First Minister on July 1st if there is no movement on IRA arms, predicted it would be "some time yet" before republicans would respond to pressure on arms.
"They've had years and years and years. It's time for them to face up to their responsibilities or to accept the responsibility of destroying the hopes of all the people of Northern Ireland.
There was a "united front" throughout the North and South calling on republicans to keep their promise. "I hope, and I believe actually, that that pressure will succeed."
Mr Trimble, who faces his party's ruling council today for re-election as party leader, also called for a clear indication from loyalist paramilitaries that they would match any move by the IRA.