The Alliance Party has said the Provisional IRA must live up to its responsibilities and re-engage with the international decommissioning body.
The party's deputy leader, Mr Seamus Close, criticised the paramilitary group's New Year statement which blamed the decommissioning deadlock on the British government.
Mr Close said: "People are fed up with statements from the IRA patting themselves on the back and blaming Tony Blair for not moving on demilitarisation when they know the IRA has yet to fulfil its obligations to those who voted for peace."
He said unless the Provisionals acted quickly to reengage with the decommissioning body, people would seriously question their good faith.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Office sources have said that negotiations with Sinn Fein in an attempt to end the current political deadlock were unlikely to resume this week. A Sinn Fein spokesman said both sides had not spoken since talks ended abruptly on December 21st. He was pessimistic about the likelihood of a breakthrough when talks eventually recommence, possibly next week.
Anti-agreement Ulster Unionists are discussing whether to call a meeting of their party's ruling body, the Ulster Unionist Council, if there is no progress on decommissioning.
The DUP has selected Belfast Lord Mayor, Mr Sammy Wilson, to contest the East Antrim constituency at the next Westminster election.