Republicans today called on the British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair to keep his promise to deal decisively with the issue of paramilitary exiles.
The call came amid claims that ministerial colleagues have warned Mr Blair that legislation to provide an amnesty for IRA fugitives would not get through Britain's parliament.
They have also added that a pardon for those suspected of terrorist crimes would also be unacceptable.
A Sinn Féin spokesman accused the British prime minister of being slow to move on the issue but added he believed there was no possibility of the British government reneging on its obligations.
"If the Prime Minister had handled it right it would have been sorted out a long time ago with the minimum of fuss," he added.
It is believed that colleagues have told Mr Blair that he could face a backbench revolt in the Commons, while Conservative peers would join unionists in the House of Lords in blocking any proposed moves.
During multi-party peace talks at Weston Park last year, Mr Blair struck a deal with Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams to allow paramilitary suspects, accused of offences committed before the signing of the Belfast Agreement in April 1998, to return home.
It is widely believed this concession helped pave the way for the subsequent IRA move on decommissioning.
A Sinn Féin spokesman said the ball was now very much in Mr Blair's court. "It isn't a matter for us, it's a matter for the British Government."
At his party's annual conference at the weekend, Ulster Unionist Party leader Mr David Trimble pledged to use whatever means possible to oppose an amnesty for terrorists.
PA