The Reverend Ian Paisley today declared that the Good Friday Agreement was dead and called for a "new beginning" in the Northern Ireland peace process.

Mr Paisley, whose Democratic Unionist party is now the biggest unionist party in the province after support for the Ulster Unionists collapsed, said that he wanted to see a role given to those Northern Ireland Assembly members who were prepared to sign up to exclusively peaceful means.

He ruled out any prospect of power sharing with Sinn Fein.

"No, I don’t see it because I don’t trust them and the people don’t trust them," he told reporters after talks in Downing Street with Tony Blair.

Mr Paisley said that any moves towards peace in Northern Ireland now depended on complete and verifiable decommissioning of its weapons by the IRA as well as an end to "criminality". "Until we have that we don’t have a safe foundation," he said.

Calling for a "new beginning" in the political process he said: "That new beginning outlaws all who outlaw themselves by clinging to violence."

He suggested that some role could be found for Assembly members "who want to support democracy" in dealing with issues such as planning, education and marches.

However he refused to be drawn on whether he had discussed detailed proposals with the Prime Minister.

Mr Paisley said that the Good Friday Agreement had now "failed".

"I think it should be given a reasonable burial," he said. "It never had the support from the unionist community it ought to have had to make it stick.

"The Prime Minister agreed with us it must be a new beginning. You just cannot go back and do the same thing over and over again."

He said that any future agreement would have to have the the DUP’s "stamp" on it if it was to succeed.

"There is no reason why we cannot go forward in a way that will bring peace to Northern Ireland and the way to do that is the democratic way," he said.

Mr Blair later met Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein president, in his first meetings with the Northern Ireland political leaders since the General Election.

Speaking as a Sinn Fein delegation entered 10 Downing Street, Mr Adams said it was "imperative" that Mr Blair makes clear that the Good Friday Agreement remains "the only way forward".

Told that Mr Paisley had just declared the agreement "dead", Mr Adams reacted with surprise, saying: "Are you serious? Well, he has the right to his opinion.

"I would see that more as a challenge to Mr Blair and the Taoiseach than to Sinn Fein. This is, after all, an international treaty that was voted upon by people in both states on the island of Ireland, and there isn’t any other way forward."

Asked what Sinn Fein wanted to hear from Mr Blair, chief negotiator Martin McGuinness replied: "That he stands by the Good Friday Agreement and that the Good Friday Agreement and only the Good Friday Agreement provides the best way forward for all of us."

Mr McGuinness added: "The person who needs to get real here is Ian Paisley. The reality is that last December he did countenance the prospect of going into government with Sinn Fein.

"Yes, there have been difficulties in the intervening period. Our job as politicians, as the people charged with responsibility on behalf of the electorate, is to solve problems and build the type of foundation that we all need to see, one that is secure, one that presents the best way forward."

Earlier Mr Adams said that if the DUP would not agree to a return to power sharing it was up to the British and Irish Governments to push forward with the other aspects of the agreement including those designed to strengthen cross border ties.

"It is incumbent upon them to build upon the agreement, build upon its all-Ireland aspects and to deepen the relationship between the two parts of the island," he said.

"Now if the DUP are prepared to let that happen that’s their choice. I think it would be very unwise given where they’re coming from."

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