Sinn Fein responded with "outrage" to Mr Peter Mandelson's decision to suspend the institutions of the Belfast Agreement, notwithstanding Gen de Chastelain's second report indicating progress on IRA decommissioning.
The Ulster Unionist Party, while welcoming some of the language from the IRA in the report, said it could not be sold to today's meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council.
Mr Pat Doherty, vice president of Sinn Fein said he was angered and outraged that the Northern Secretary Mr Mandelson went ahead with suspension.
Mr Doherty and Sinn Fein sources pointed to the positive nature of Gen de Chastelain's conclusion that "this commitment . . . holds out the real prospect of an agreement which would enable it to fulfil the substance of its mandate".
He did not know whether Sinn Fein would participate in the review or whether the IRA would continue to deal with the decommissioning body. The negotiators were tired after this exhaustive process.
Some SDLP and unionist sources, while welcoming elements of the report, said that it did not answer the question: would the IRA decommission, and when when would that happen? Mr Alan McFarland, a senior UUP MLA, said Sinn Fein might feel outrage but it was the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic who were seeking decommissioning who should feel outraged.
"This [de Chastelain] statement tonight certainly moves the language along, but it was never going to cause a seismic shift and change the position from the edifice being put on hold.
"It simply wasn't strong enough for that. We have to now gather ourselves together in a review and try to sort a way through this," he added.
He described the report as a "starting point" which was clearly more positive than the report of January 31st when General de Chastelain was unable to report any progress with the IRA. However, there were many elements to the report that were totally unclear.
The SDLP MLA, Ms Brid Rodgers, said that while she had not seen the second de Chastelain report, the question to be asked was, did it make it possible for the UUP leader, Mr Trimble, to deliver the Ulster Unionist Council today?
She understood that the "realpolitik of the situation" appeared to suggest that the report was not sufficient to allow Mr Trimble win approval for continuing in government with Sinn Fein on the basis of what the IRA was currently saying.
Mr Esmond Birnie, of the UUP, said the report was welcome "as far as it goes" but that more evidence was needed on the substantive issues.
"It's a pity that the republican movement chose to produce this so close to midnight. It would have helped but in itself it would not have been enough," added Mr Birnie.
He said the UUP would "carefully consider" the document in the context of what was now a review stage and described suspension as a "necessary evil".
Mr David Ford of the Alliance Party said the document was produced "far too late to have expected a favourable response from others". He said the other parties may not see it as the move forward perceived by republicans.
"The IRA must speedily continue their discussions with Gen de Chastelain to flesh out the issues raised in the report and proceed to the verifiable action that the vast majority of people want." added Mr Ford.
