The Northern Ireland electorate should send a message to Sinn Féin that they will not allow them to obstruct the Belfast Agreement, Northern Ireland First Minister Mr David Trimble said today.
In a pre-election strike at republicans on the BBC programme Breakfast with Frost, the Ulster Unionist leader said there were question marks about Sinn Féin's commitment to the Agreement and he urged people in Northern Ireland to vent their frustration at the ballot box.
He declared: "It is very important that people in Northern Ireland demonstrate their support not just for the Agreement but for its full implementation and they send a message to republicans in that respect.
"I think there are other parties, not just ourselves, the moderate nationalists, the SDLP, people who have put the effort in, in terms of implementing the Agreement and I hope people across the board will support those parties that have done the work and not those parties that are obstructing implementation.
"Worse than that, actually, when you look at the behaviour of Sinn Féin over the last few weeks, you begin to wonder what commitment they have to it."
The Upper Bann MP noted leading members of Sinn Féin had spoken recently of renegotiating the Agreement.
There had also been "increased violence" with two murders in the past fortnight which republicans had been suspected of, he said.
Mr Trimble warned republicans they had to honour their commitment to fully implement the Agreement by June, including putting IRA weapons beyond use.
He said there would be consequences for republicans if they broke their promise but he would not state what action his party would take.
The Northern Ireland First Minister insisted he did not want to "destroy the process" but would be looking to the British government and the SDLP to "honour their undertakings" on the Agreement to "show that republicans are not going to be able to destroy the process as they seem to wish".
Mr Trimble was speaking ahead of what is being billed as the toughest election campaign Northern Ireland has ever experienced.
With the Westminster and local government polls taking place simultaneously, his party will face a stern challenge from the Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists.
The UUP is also engaged in bitter battles to stave off Sinn Féin and SDLP challenges for its seats in West Tyrone, South Belfast and Fermanagh and South Tyrone and to gain seats from anti-Agreement unionists in North Down and South Antrim.
Leading Ulster Unionist MP and Agreement critic, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson warned yesterday his party would sustain significant damage if it did not clarify its position on IRA disarmament and Sinn Féin in government.
PA