Deadlines have never worked, says Adams

Tony Blair is facing a republican backlash over his call for the IRA to disband with Sinn Fein warning that such ultimatums have not worked before.

Gerry Adams, the party's president, insisted he would not "walk away" from the peace process despite widespread anger at the Prime Minister's remarks on Thursday.

However, Mr Adams and other leading figures in Sinn Fein said that Mr Blair had made a "grievous mistake" in suspending the Northern Ireland Assembly and imposing direct rule from Whitehall.

Mr Blair said this week that the IRA could no longer be "half in, half out" of the peace process. On a visit to Ulster today, Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory leader, will tell Mr Blair he needs to follow his speech with action to end the "one-sided" concessions to Sinn Fein.

"We've had tough words before. This time I hope the Prime Minister means it. Too often, in the past, resolute words have been followed by irresolute action. The Prime Minister now needs to deliver and follow through. I will support him if and when he does," he will say.

Bertie Ahern, the Taoiseach, backed his British counterpart, saying the IRA's "integration into the democratic fabric" was the only way of fulfilling its political objectives.

But in his first full response to the Prime Minister's remarks, Mr Adams said he could not understand why the focus was on republican violence while loyalists remained active. He said he had seen much anger in the republican community since Mr Blair's speech.

"This is not a time for ultimatums, this is not a time for deadlines. That has never worked in the past," he said. "What we need is to understand that the removal of the political anchor of the process was a grievous mistake.

"We're going to stick with [the peace process], we're not going to walk away from it. We have a common strategic objective with both the British and Irish governments."

Pat Doherty, Sinn Fein's vice-president, went further, resisting demands that the IRA alone should disband and issued a call for fresh talks. "The IRA is not Sinn Fein's private army. Sinn Fein is in government because of its electoral mandate and its absolute commitment to the peace process," he told BBC Radio 4's Today.

"It is not just about the IRA. It is about the British military presence, it is about the loyalists, it is about a society that has many armies that have been involved in a struggle."

A more considered response to Mr Blair's speech is expected from Mr Adams at a major republican rally next weekend. The Sinn Fein leader is due to hold intensive talks with party activists through the week and announce the outcome at the event. The gathering is due to be held at an undisclosed location in the Irish Republic.