Members of the unionist community yesterday expressed a sense of betrayal and pessimism at the peace process, particularly with the lack of progress on decommissioning.
Representatives of unionists and Protestants gave their views at the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in Dublin. Others attending the forum included politicians from the Oireachtas, Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, and the SDLP's Mr Mark Durcan and Ms Bríd Rogers.
The pessimistic views of decommissioning were shared by Ms Liz O'Donnell, TD of the PDs, who took part in the Belfast Agreement talks.
She said: "The disarmament we had in mind has not occurred. I don't think we have yet had acts of completion sufficient to convince even those of us not in the unionist community for Sinn Féin to stay in the institutions."
Mr Adams responded by stating that they had a right to be in government as they had been given a mandate by the people.
The Rev Earl Storey, rector, Glenavy, Co Antrim, said he was presenting a snapshot of some grassroots opinion rather than the position of the Church of Ireland.
"The unionist community at present is essentially pessimistic," he said. There was the sense of the political being corrupted in that works and gestures had been devalued to such an extent that they became unbelievable.
"When all the cleverness of spin and political presentation are removed it is simply a belief that it is unreasonable to be expected to share power and continue a political process when the IRA is active and in place."
Mr George McCullagh, for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, said people felt they had been betrayed. "The IRA and its control of Sinn Féin is the immediate cause of that betrayal. The balloon (of the agreement) has well and truly burst."
Presbyterian minister, the Rev Dr Sam Hutchinson said it was regrettable loyalist and republican paramilitary activity, which people hoped would end, and the decommissioning of illegal weapons, which was expected to take place after the formation of the Executive, had taken place in such a reluctant and minimalist way.
In a presentation on behalf of the Evangelical Contribution on Northern Ireland (ECONI) its director, Dr David Porter, said: "Many are left disappointed, betrayed, angry and confused."
Mr Trevor Ringland, Ulster Unionist Council, said he respected the mandate given to nationalists, but when they were on the pitch they had to play by the same rules as everybody else.
Prof Paul Bew, professor of Irish politics at Queen's University, Belfast, said the agreement had been built on a unionism which was pragmatic, non-idealist and rather conservative.
"The key is preservation of pro-agreement political forces. In the world of post-agreement and post 9/11, nobody now has an ace card left in their pack. For that reason there is no choice but to continue to work patiently for political accommodation."