The DUP tonight accused the British government of turning a blind eye to IRA activity.
The Democratic Unionist Party’s deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, claimed after a meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr John Reid, that it was clear no sanctions would be imposed on Sinn Féin despite persistent allegations of ongoing IRA activity.
This afternoon he handed over a dossier to Dr Reid at Hillsborough Castle on IRA activity in Northern Ireland and abroad. However, the East Belfast MP was sceptical about the Government's response.
"In order to prop up the so-called peace process, the Secretary of State is prepared to close his eyes to anything that the Provisional IRA do," Mr Robinson said.
"I cannot think of any activity that the Provisional IRA would engage in that would cause this Secretary of State to say that they were in breach of their ceasefire and that is the nonsense that we have by the way of a process in Northern Ireland."
The DUP delegation, which also included party leader the Rev Ian Paisley and his son Ian Junior, sought the meeting in the wake of recent claims that at least two IRA Army Council members sanctioned weapons testing in Colombia in recent years.
Three republicans have been imprisoned in Colombia last August and are awaiting trial on suspicion of training left wing FARC rebels.
There have also been allegations that the IRA was behind the break-in at a Special Branch office in a top security Belfast police station in March, has been orchestrating recent street clashes in the city and tried to kill a new Catholic recruit to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in Ballymena, Co Antrim.
All of these claims have been repeatedly denied by republicans and in some cases, by the IRA itself.
PA