The Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, has warned that there is a limit to how far the UUP can "stretch" without an equivalent response from the republican community.
Speaking in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast shortly after the Ulster Unionist Council gave him clearance to participate again in the Northern Ireland Executive, Mr Trimble said: "It is perfectly obvious we have stretched ourselves remarkably in the circumstances. It is also obvious that there is a limit to how far we can stretch ourselves without an adequate response being made. "We're operating in reliance on promises made by the republican movement - a promise made to put a confidence-building measure in place in a matter of weeks. Two weeks have already gone since that promise was made. I expect it to be delivered fairly soon now."
Mr Trimble said the IRA had promised it would pursue its political objectives peacefully in the future and that it would initiate a process that would put its arms completely and verifiably beyond use.
"Those promises must be delivered. Let there be absolutely no doubt that I and my colleagues will hold the republicans to the promises they have made. If there's any foot-dragging, if there's any delay, there will be difficulties. I'm not laying down conditions. I don't have any complaints on that score. I'm simply saying that the promises that have been made have to be kept."
Mr Trimble said Saturday's debate had been "vigorous" but had been "conducted in a civilised manner".
He said "a lot of emotional factors" had come against securing a Yes vote. "Those emotional factors were aggravated by the 10 weeks' experience of devolution, because one of the most difficult things we had to deal with were . . . the arguments that arose because of the arrogant behaviour of Sinn Fein during the period of devolution, and I'm not referring here simply to their ministerial appointees but of Sinn Fein as a whole.
"As far as democracy is concerned, these folk ain't house-trained yet. It may take some time before they do become housetrained and I think we do actually need to see the Assembly running so the checks and balances that are there eventually bring them to heel . . . We are dealing with a party that has not got accustomed to democratic procedures."
He said the benefits from the agreement were evident. "Belfast is booming. That is due in no small measure to what we have done over the last number of years. People in the community as a whole can see that this is happening, and they've noticed too how 1999 was the first year in 30 years in which not a soldier was killed, not a policeman was murdered . . . and we are bringing paramilitaries closer to the democratic process."
Speaking to the BBC after the meeting, Mr John Taylor said if the vote had been held the previous Saturday, Mr Trimble would have lost. Mr Taylor would not say what assurances he had secured from the British government to cause him to vote Yes. "Politics is a matter of timing . . . These things will emerge in time."
Mr Trimble said he "fully understood" Mr Taylor's position. "John's quite right to say that there have been developments. He's also quite right in my view not to go beyond that point. The developments will emerge and you will see there was good reason for his actions."
