Sinn Féin today called on the British government to sanction the release of Shankill bomber Sean Kelly.
Party president Gerry Adams told Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain that no evidence had been given for why Kelly was rearrested last month.
Mr Adams said the IRA statement on its future - expected next month - was not discussed during more than 90 minutes of talks between the minister and senior party figures at Stormont Castle.
Mr Adams said he expressed concern at the increase in the "premeditated attacks" by loyalists on Catholic homes.
The Orange marching season, including past and forthcoming parades, was also discussed during the private meeting. But one of the main concerns with the republicans remains the retention of Kelly.
"We pressed again for the release of Sean Kelly," Mr Adams said. "The man should not be in prison and we made that very, very clear. . . To my knowledge, no one has given evidence around why the man was put in prison."
Kelly was jailed in 1993 for the bombing, which killed 10 people, including his I RA accomplice, Thomas Begley, in a blast at Frizzell's fish and chip shop on the loyalist Shankill Road. He was released under the Belfast Agreement but was rearrested last month and had his early release licence revoked.
After his re-arrest, Mr Hain said he had been involved in terrorist activity but did not spell out what that was.
North Belfast Catholic priest Father Aidan Troy has also called for Kelly's release. "From the point of view of making sure that we begin to move forward, and that the peace process is strengthened, there has to be some way to produce in the public domain why this has been done," the Ardoyne-based priest said. "I hope loyalist politicians in the same situation would ask the same questions. This is not about taking one side or the other. I believe there is the potential here for a miscarriage of justice."
Fr Troy met Kelly in Maghaberry Prison on July 6th and said he was convinced he was not involved in any criminal activity. He said he had witnessed the prisoner try to act as a moderating influence during riots in the Ardoyne this summer. During the meeting, Kelly told the priest he was baffled as to why his early release licence had been revoked.