The DUP has played down expectation of a breakthrough in the peace process at next month's all-party talks in Kent.
Mr Peter Robinson, responding to Mr Gerry Adams's article in yesterday's Irish Times insisted that devolution of justice and policing powers should not be rushed, the DUP warned yesterday.
The Sinn Féin president had written that an agreement on further policing reform and swift transfer of justice powers to a reconstituted Stormont could form the spine of an historic deal.
However, Mr Robinson said unionist confidence in such a move would be compromised if it were rushed through.
Speaking to reporters at his party headquarters in east Belfast yesterday, the DUP deputy leader said it was not a case of whether policing powers be devolved, but how and to whom.
He stressed that his party supported devolution of policing control to a Northern Ireland administration, but added that such a transfer required "the confidence of those who would enjoy the benefit of devolved policing and justice powers".
He added: "If the DUP exercised those powers now I do not think there would be confidence in that from the nationalist community, and if Sinn Féin were to exercise those powers, there certainly would not be any confidence in the unionist community as things stand".
Mr Robinson said that if the IRA got rid of its weaponry and there was an end to paramilitary and criminal activity "in a convincing way" then unionist confidence would develop.
Despite repeated questioning Mr Robinson would not indicate a timescale for policing and justice devolution, but he did not exclude the possibility of such a transfer within the lifetime of the current suspended assembly.
Sinn Féin yesterday restated its belief in the need for "a holistic deal" with unionism which included policing powers being returned to Stormont.
Mr Gerry Kelly said equality, human rights, demilitarisation and police and justice powers needed to be included in any overall agreement sought at next month's talks. "Any undue delay in this is totally unacceptable," he said.
The SDLP yesterday accused Sinn Féin of sounding like "a broken record" on policing. Mr Alex Attwood, the party's policing spokesman, said Sinn Féin "should come clean on policing".
"Any issue of enduring concern they are claiming to have, the SDLP has the strategy to deal with it, whether it be plastic bullets, human rights offenders or anything else," he said.
"In addition, the SDLP is driving the campaign to undo the role of MI5 in the North, the big strategic issue, while Sinn Féin is silent." He accused Sinn Féin of stalling on the issue of accepting the new policing dispensation.
"It is past time to move and not pretend that they have any enduring issues of substance."
The Ulster Unionists repeated their accusation that the DUP was preparing a U-turn on accepting republicans in a power-sharing administration at Stormont.
Sir Reg Empey said that Mr Robinson's call for a meeting of delegations from the two unionist parties was an attempt to cover his change of policy.
"We have no intention of being part of any smokescreen that the DUP may try to create to conceal its U-turn on Sinn Féin members in the government of Northern Ireland."