But, he added, the existence of the IRA army council remains a major danger to the political process.

He was speaking as he led a DUP delegation to meet the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) to discuss the growing threat from dissident republican paramilitaries.

A senior party delegation, led by Peter Robinson, comprising Nigel Dodds, Jeffrey Donaldson, Ian Paisley Jnr and William McCrea had teatime tals on Friday with the IMC in Belfast.

The First Minister urged Sinn Fein to join with the DUP, UUP and SDLP ministers and hold Executive talks.

"It's within the power of the ministers of the Executive to meet. Let's meet and avoid a crisis. The public expect us to do so, " he said.

"We have a duty, a legal responsibility to get sitting down as ministers and dealing with these matters. Let us take the legal, political and moral responsibility we have and meet as an Executive."

Mr Robinson would not specify, where, when, and for what length of time the discussions will take place next week, but he suggested they would be more at ministerial level, as he had no plans to meet Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.

"It is no failing on the part of the Democratic Unionist Party ministers that the Executive is not meeting."

The IMC meeting did have a link to the talks process, with the DUP seeking an assessment on where the IRA is at, in terms of any activity.

The DUP said it wants to see an end of the IRA army council, before policing powers can be devolved.

Mr Robinson noted: "The people of Northern Ireland want to see the tail-end of the IRA army council and they want to see it gone forever."

But he said he did not "believe we have reached that stage", though the IMC's jugdement would be useful.

Asked that, if the army council still existed, but was judged to be dormant or near-defunct, would that be good enough, he indicated it would not.

"It's existence is a threat," he stressed.