UNIONIST REACTION:DUP LEADER Peter Robinson said his party remained committed to the devolution of justice powers "without undue delay" but it had to happen on a basis that was "sustainable and satisfactory for the community as a whole".
He said the matters at issue were of life-and-death concern and had to be got right.
The areas of disagreement between the parties had been narrowed at Hillsborough, he said.
“It is possible to reach agreement if there is flexibility from everyone. But you do not expect to get an outcome from negotiations by standing at one point and expecting everybody to move to you.”
His party would work in the remaining days, as outlined by the British prime minister and the Taoiseach, but he warned that the DUP would only sign up to an agreement if it believed the outstanding matters were dealt with satisfactorily.
“We will do what is right for our community,” he said.
Mr Robinson said his constituents were not obsessed by a date for the transfer of justice powers. Instead they were concerned about education, jobs and health.
“We are ready to continue government, we are ready to continue talks,” he said. “But we do not believe that one should be at the expense of the other.
“The DUP believes that the community would be outraged if anybody was to walk away from the devolution project. It is in the interest of our community, it is the evidence of a new era and if there are difficulties then we keep talking until we resolve those difficulties. That is the commitment we have.”
He concluded: “The Democratic Unionist Party is committed to ensure that devolution works in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland and will not accept any second-rate deal simply to get across the line to suit someone else’s deadline.”
Sinn Féin had indicated “some time limit” in relation to agreement on justice. “We set no time limit, we place no threat on the institutions.”
He added: “If others choose to walk away then I believe that the wrath of the community will be upon them for doing that.”
Sir Reg Empey, the Ulster Unionist leader, said the prize of agreement on policing and parades and other issues was too great to fail now.
“Having come the distance we have come, I think it would be a tragedy that we would falter at this last stage,” he said.
But he warned that his party would not be forced to sign up to a deal just because Sinn Féin was demanding immediate progress.
“I want to make it clear Sinn Féin are not going to bully us. We have our issues, we have our mandate and we intend to have our agenda discussed with the other parties.”