Rioting at Belfast's sectarian flashpoints this summer could destroy efforts to restore Northern Ireland's power sharing government by October, Mr David Trimble said today.
As he prepared to meet loyalist paramilitary representatives in an attempt to maintain calm across the city's volatile peace lines, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader said the next few months were crucial to breaking the deadlock in the peace process.
He called on republicans to start planning how the IRA will finally go out of business for good to allow postponed elections to the Stormont Assembly to be held in the autumn.
But he warned that "trouble during the summer will impact negatively on that".
The political process in Belfast has been in crisis ever since the two governments failed to achieve a breakthrough last month that would allow devolution to be restored.
Mr Trimble insisted it would be dangerous to let the situation drag on into the marching season without fresh efforts to break the impasse.
In a direct challenge to the republican movement, the UUP leader said: "They should be spending June organising the moves, the act of completion that they can undertake and put in place in September in order to have a prospect for a resumption of the Assembly in October".
Mr Trimble pointed out that Secretary of State Paul Murphy must name the date for new elections by November 15th.
Mr Trimble was due to meet representatives of the Progressive Unionist Party, which is linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force, and the Ulster Political Research Group which speaks for the Ulster Defence Association.
Mr Trimble warned: "If we find interfaces heated up, people will draw conclusions and republicans could do themselves enormous damage if they don't do their bit.
"But we need to see the other bit done by loyalists and that's something I will be reflecting on with loyalists today".
PA