The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, remained elusive when questioned on decommissioning in New York yesterday.
Emphasising instead the importance of his party's new ministerial authority, Mr Adams said the appointments of Mr Martin McGuinness and Ms Bairbre de Brun was a measure of the progress that had been made.
In a swipe at Fianna Fail, Mr Adams said it was unlikely Sinn Fein would form a coalition government with a party that had legislated a Budget which "disadvantaged the disadvantaged".
Pressed on decommissioning and unionist threats to quit the Executive, Mr Adams refused to discuss deadlines or dates.
"When it is done is a question and how it is done is a question for those with the weapons and those who are charged with the responsibilities in the decommissioning," he said. "The need for political leaders is to be leaderly. If anyone is threatening to walk away from the process then that is their responsibility."
Asked if a move to allow him and Mr Martin McGuinness access to Westminster would see them ein leaders politicians MPs inside the British parliament building there within a fortnight, Mr Adams said: "If we have time."