The Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, has said the independent inspection of Provisional IRA arms dumps is only an immediate confidence-building measure, and not a permanent solution to the decommissioning issue.
Mr Trimble was speaking after meeting the international arms inspectors, the former ANC official, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, and the former Finnish president, Mr Martii Ahtisaari. The inspectors yesterday said they would be reinspecting the dumps regularly to ensure that weapons remained secure.
Mr Trimble said there could be no "minimalist approach" to decommissioning. "If all that society is being offered is the inspection of arms dumps, it will not be regarded as a satisfactory resolution of the issue.
"The dumps are not the permanent solution. That is the point we are making about there being two different processes. There is the process of putting arms beyond use completely and finally, which is done in consultation with the independent international commission on decommissioning.
"The inspection of some arms dumps where weapons will be kept is an immediate confidence-building measure." Mr Trimble added that there must be a timetable for putting weapons beyond use.
In Belfast yesterday Mr Ramaphosa and Mr Ahtisaari met the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, the Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, and the chairman of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, Gen John de Chastelain.
In a statement the inspectors said: "Our mandate is to inspect the contents of a number of IRA arms dumps and, having done so, to report on this to the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning.
"We will regularly re-inspect these dumps to ensure the weapons have remained secure. We do not underestimate the profound importance and the unprecedented nature of the task which we have been asked to undertake."
They said it would not be "helpful or appropriate" for them to make any further comment on their task at this stage.
After his party had met the two inspectors, the Sinn Fein vice-president, Mr Pat Doherty, said it had been only a "courtesy" visit. The issue of how arms dumps would be inspected was not a matter for Sinn Fein but for the Provisional IRA and Mr Ramaphosa and Mr Ahtisaari.
The SDLP described its meeting with the two men as significant. Speaking afterwards the party's former Stormont minister, Mr Sean Farren, said the inspectors had an important part to play.
"Their presence here is a tremendous boost in terms of confidence-building to the whole process. They are both men with very significant international reputations. They are determined and very committed with respect to the responsibilities that they have both taken up.
"Everyone can now look forward with growing confidence to see a real process being developed by which arms will indeed be put beyond use in a very credible and verifiable way."
Mr Farren said that, following the Provisional IRA's offer, a response should now be made by loyalist paramilitaries "so that on all sides a real, genuine and comprehensive process of putting arms beyond use is under way."
The Alliance leader, Mr Sean Neeson, said: "The inspectors have an invaluable role to play in giving the community confidence that arms have been put beyond use.
"Alliance has always said it was not the actual means of decommissioning that was important but rather that the process was verifiable." He would also like to see a move from loyalists.
The Women's Coalition said it had held a constructive meeting with the two inspectors. Ms Monica McWilliams said: "They were very clear they did not wish their integrity or their credibility to be compromised in any way. They are going to work independently and report on a three-monthly basis."
She claimed that some politicians were making "unnecessary demands" on loyalist paramilitaries. "Time was given to republicans to bring them in from the cold and make them feel included and the same amount of time deserves to be given to loyalists," she added.