SINN Féin President Gerry Adams says there must not be any extension to Monday's deadline for power sharing talks at Stormont.
The parties have until March 27 to form a new Executive and if that deadline passes without agreement Northern Ireland could face another snap election - the third in the space of a year.
Speaking in Newry this evening Mr Adams said "there cannot be continuous negotiation and re-negotiation of agreements already made" and that agreement could be reached in coming days.
The veteran politician said he and the other members of Sinn Féin involved in talks would "move directly" from Martin McGuinness' graveside tomorrow "to urgently do our utmost to get the Executive and the Assembly restored and working".
The Louth TD said the team had spent today at Stormont "trying to find a resolution to the outstanding issues".
"From our point of view this is about an implementation process. There cannot be continuous negotiation and re-negotiation of agreements already made. So Sinn Féin is opposed to any extension of Monday’s deadline or a return to British direct rule."
“In 2006 the British and Irish governments agreed in a joint statement that the restoration of the political institutions would see the British government’s power to suspend the Assembly lapse for good.
“They also agreed, if the Executive was not formed, to begin detailed work on British-Irish partnership arrangements to ensure that the Good Friday Agreement is actively developed across its structures and functions.
“While the governments have not developed the British-Irish partnership arrangements envisaged if the Executive was not formed at that time, the British government’s power to suspend the Assembly is gone. Of course this legislation could be reintroduced at any time but this would be a very serious step, which the Irish Government would be compelled to oppose. We look to the Taoiseach to make that clear."
Mr Adams said the Dublin government was co-equal guarantor of the Good Friday and subsequent agreements and called on the taoiseach "to make it clear by deed as well as word" that the government would implement its obligations "and hold the British government to account for its obligations, internationally if need be".
