The Lord Mayor of Belfast Sinn Féin's Tom Hartley has for the first time met representatives of the Ulster Political Research Group, which represents groups that have links with loyalist paramilitaries.
Speaking on RTÉ radio this morning, Frankie Gallagher of the UPRG said the Sinn Féin leadership had "stepped up to the mark' in their condemnation of the murder of three members of the security forces in recent days.
In meeting the Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Belfast today, Mr Gallagher of the UPRG said the group was responding to comments made by senior Sinn Féin figures. "We are going to meet the Lord Mayor of Belfast .. we've never done this before. We've never been near Irish republicans or 'Shinners'."
"Everybody in Northern Ireland is reassessing their position, stepping up to the mark creating unity amongst all the people of Northern Ireland to stand against this evil."
Commenting on those who perpetrated the killings, Mr Gallagher said "I wouldn't let them create any despair in our hearts or in our minds for achieving long-term peace"
"You are always going to get people like this who are off their heads whether it be on a national scale or on a global scale. A small number of people can create havoc."
"What we have got to do is not let them destroy the peace that we've achieved so far and we have to stand united as a society - republican, nationalist and unionist."
Mr Gallagher said Sinn Fein's response "has been astonishing" he said they had "stepped up to the line and beyond it."
"They have demonstrated to the people in unionist communities that they are now committed and wedded to peace and non-violence"
Commenting on Martin McGuinness' description of those responsible as “traitors to the island of Ireland”, Mr Gallagher said "When he said 'traitors' I can understand how it felt - it came from the heart."
"All Irish people have told these people that they are not wanted."