A loyalist politician in the North predicted today the IRA would put its weapons beyond use, while SDLP urged the IRA not to be deterred by the Unionists move to exclude Sinn Fein ministers from ministerial office.
The Progressive Unionist Party's Mr David Ervine said he was confident the IRA would make a move towards disarmament.
He claimed it would do so to remain in power in the multi-party executive at Stormont.
Mr Ervine, whose party is linked to the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force grouping, said: "I think the Provos are going to do it."
"It has become clear to me that having wondered about the republican strategy and thinking that that strategy was simply to keep unionism in demise, I am beginning to recognise that the republicans like devolution, they like power, they like authority."
The East Belfast MLA sounded an optimistic note about IRA disarmament just two days before the Northern Assembly unionist moves to remove Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness and Bairbre de Brun from ministerial office because of the failure of the IRA to move on weapons.
Mr Ervine admitted to BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politicsprogramme this decision turned on its head his party's policy of inclusive politics.
The PUP Assemblyman said he did not know if there was enough time before Monday's debate and the possible long term suspension of Northern Ireland's political institutions for the IRA to make a move on decommissioning but he argued that it would provide a "firm foundation" for the kind of politics republican leaders said they wanted to see work.
He said if the IRA put its weapons beyond use, the Ulster Volunteer Force would have to examine the circumstances and respond accordingly.
Meanwhile the incoming leader of the Nationalist SDLP, Mr Mark Durkan, today urged the IRA not to be deflected from its efforts to resolve the weapons issue by the moves to exclude Sinn Fein ministers.
Mr Durkan, who will take over from Mr John Hume as SDLP leader next month, said his party would not be supporting moves by the Ulster Unionists and the Democratic Unionists to force Sinn Fein ministers out of office.
He said: "We do not believe excluding a party from government at this stage would be consistent with preserving and developing the Agreement and the full implementation we need to achieve. That, obviously, includes encouraging decommissioning.