Only the full implementation of the Patten report on policing by the British government will allay nationalist fears about any new police service in the North, Sinn Fein has said.
Speaking at the presentation of a document about the Policing Bill, due to begin its passage through the House of Commons on Tuesday, Mr Martin McGuinness said the nationalist community was "in uproar" about the new legislation.
He said the Northern Secretary had "turned the Patten proposals into the Mandelson proposals". These fell far short of the Patten report.
Mr McGuinness would not comment on whether the IRA's decision to allow international monitors into its arms dumps was conditional on the full implementation of the Patten report. "That's up to the British government and the IRA," he said. "It's not useful to get into speculation where the British government are coming from."
Mr McGuinness did, however, say "the IRA initiative came about as a result of the joint statement issued by the two governments and we want to see everyone, including the IRA, honour their commitments.
"There has been an absolutely huge reaction in the nationalist community to the Mandelson proposals . . . that carries with it serious consequences."
Mr McGuinness also said the changes to the police reform recommendations in the Bill had been masked by the controversy surrounding Mr Mandelson's concessions to the Ulster Unionist Party on the issue of the RUC's name and symbols.
"This has tended to distract away from, or to disguise, the amount of damage that has been done to the goal of a new policing service by those within the British system who have a much more strategic view than the unionist politicians and who have been permitted by the British government to emasculate the Patten recommendations," he said.
Among the criticisms made by Sinn Fein were the lack of statutory provisions for the Oversight Commissioner who will monitor the reforms, restriction of the powers of the Policing Board and the barring of former prisoners from district policing partnerships.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein Ministers on the Northern Executive drew heavy criticism from all shades of unionism for their refusal to allow the Union Jack to be flown from their offices yesterday.
Mr McGuinness, the Education Minister, confirmed he had asked his officials not to fly the flag over his department's offices in Bangor, Co Down, and he said he was legally entitled to do so.
He said his party wanted to promote mutual respect for the flags, symbols and emblems of both traditions in Northern Ireland. If the British flag was going to fly on government buildings, then so should the Tricolour.
Mr McGuinness said he agreed with the Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon, that there needed to be respect for each community's traditions. DUP leader the Rev Ian Paisley said the refusal of Sinn Fein to fly the Union Jack made it clear that Ulster Unionists had been conned again.
"While Ulster Unionists bend over backwards to pander to them, it is clear that Sinn Fein/ IRA show contempt for unionist culture and the Ulster Unionist interpretation of the Belfast Agreement.
"It is again clear that Sinn Fein are unfit to be in office and the Ulster Unionists are unfit to negotiate on behalf of unionism," he said.