Published Friday, 26 October 2012
Peter Robinson said Sinn Féin members must come clean about their past. (© UTV)
The DUP leader launched a scathing attack on Mr Adams, the Sinn Féin president. He said those sitting at Stormont need to come clean about their members' past - including any involvement in the Northern Bank robbery in 2004.
"If republicans genuinely want the truth to be told let Gerry Adams admit he was in the IRA," said Mr Robinson.
"Let him disclose he was in its leadership.
"Let republicans confess responsibility for the Northern Bank robbery and let Sinn Fein leaders who have been named for involvement in terrorism by their former IRA colleagues come clean."
Tensions have emerged between the largest parties at Stormont over delays to Executive decisions.
Let the IRA give details of the multitude of murders and attacks they engaged in and then come and talk to us about setting up a truth commission.
Peter Robinson
Mr Robinson also criticised a speech made earlier this week by Sinn Féin chairman Declan Kearney.
"If Mr Kearney has the temerity to describe his speech as reconciliation then I suspect he would regard a knee capping as physiotherapy," he said.
"On Wednesday night at Westminster the mask strikingly slipped. Outreach was replaced by outburst.
"Under the implausible cover of speaking about reconciliation Mr Kearney delivered a speech with all the venom and invective that was apparent at the height of the conflict.
"Perhaps 'reconciliation' is the Gaelic word for vitriol," he commented.
Mr Robinson said the comments made by Mr Kearney could not be readily described as anything approximating reconciliation.
I appreciate that having fought a 40 year terrorist campaign the concept of reconciliation is somewhat new to the republican movement.
Peter Robinson
"It was not often heard when they were engaged in murdering members of the security forces, ethnically cleansing Protestants along the border, terrorising their community, or conducting their criminal empire.
"But now that the notion of reconciliation has been revealed to them, they behave as if they are the first to discover it.
"They even claim to own the concept and believe everyone should join in their parody of it.
"Well they aren't, they don't and we won't."