The Ulster Unionist Party has accused the leader of the UK Unionist Party, Mr Robert McCartney, of engaging in "cheap political jibes" over an incident in Portadown on Wednesday night during which Mr David Trimble was jostled by angry loyalists.
Mr Trimble had to be escorted to his car by police after he was barracked by a 200-strong crowd when he emerged from a two-hour meeting with local Orangemen.
Mr McCartney said yesterday that the incident was "disturbing but not surprising". He said that an increasing number of unionists believed Mr Trimble was servicing a policy of British disengagement from Northern Ireland.
A spokesman for Mr Trimble described Mr McCartney's comments as "absolute rubbish" and "a cheap political jibe aimed at taking advantage of a serious attempt by a mob to attack the First Minister".
The UUP spokesman said that Mr McCartney should resign his seat if he believed that the Assembly would lead to disengagement by the British government.
A leading Orangeman and member of the UUP, Mr Sam Foster, said he was "horrified" by the treatment Mr Trimble received in Portadown and described the protest as "appallingly shameful".
Mr Trimble said yesterday that he did not believe the protesters were members of the Orange Order. He maintained that he had received a "polite welcome" from local Orangemen.
The Portadown District Orange Lodge is continuing to protest over the banning of a march down the nationalist Garvaghy Road in early July.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein has called on Mr Trimble to meet the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition following his meeting with the Orange Order. Ms Dara O'Hagan, an Assembly member for Upper Bann, said that it was Mr Trimble's responsibility, as First Minister-designate and local MP, to "address the ongoing Drumcree situation and the intimidation which has resulted from it".
Dr Philip McGarry, the president of the Alliance Party, has called for an immediate end to the Orange Order protests at Drum cree. "Their continuing activities serve to point up the narrowness and sectarianism which underlies hard-line unionism," he said, describing the protest as "bitter and sorry".
Mr Alex Maskey, Sinn Fein's chief whip in the Assembly, has insisted that there must be further meetings between Mr Trimble and the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams. Mr Maskey said he believed Mr Trimble was "dutybound" to hold further meetings with Mr Adams under the pledge of office and code of conduct which the First Minister-designate had signed up to.
Sinn Fein's spokesman on cross-Border development, Mr Pat Doherty, has called for a change in regulations to allow people from the Republic to take up positions in the public service in the North. Mr Doherty said that the current "UK nationals only" rule raised questions about the British government's commitment to implementing the crossBorder elements of the agreement.
The leader of the Alliance Party, Mr Sean Neeson, has said it is essential that the Assembly be given tax-varying powers. He believed it was a "major mistake" that there was no provision for such powers in the agreement.
A leading hotelier in the North has called for the appointment on the new Executive of a minister for tourism and sport. Dr Billy Hastings, of the Hastings Hotel Group, said that political commitment was needed to market Northern Ireland and that the appointment of a minister would be a vote of confidence in the industry.
A six-member delegation from the Women's Rights Committee of the European Parliament, including MEPs Mrs Mary Banotti and Ms Patricia McKenna, yesterday inspected projects in Fermanagh and Cavan as part of a three-day visit to Northern Ireland and the Border region. The aim of the visit is to see the impact of EU funding and meet women's groups.