The Republican goal of achieving a united Ireland is unattainable, Gregory Campbell has said.
In a statement released to coincide with the New Year, the North's Culture Minister said republicanism had now adopted a new approach in the hope of gaining support among unionists for constitutional change.
"Many in the republican movement have b
een persuaded to support their tactical change on the basis that they believed their ultimate goal remains attainable.
Shift"The leadership of Sinn Fein have quite blatantly, and with no visible signs of embarrassment, shifted the emphasis from killing unionists into trying to demonstrate that they now wish to kill us with kindness in another doomed effort to get our support for constitutional change," he said.
Mr Campbell said those aiming for the goal of a united Ireland should accept defeat.
"Sooner or later their movement has to face defeat, whether it will be those being deceived or those at the top doing the deceiving, at some point two very fundamental issues will compound matters for all sides in Sinn Fein.
"A settled Northern Ireland with a divergence of communities is always going to be much more at home in the UK than outside of it.
"Secondly, as the historical myth of nationalist disadvantage is replaced by the present day reality of unionist disadvantage, the change that must happen within that settled Northern Ireland is one that republicans are going to have to face up to," he said.
The East Derry MLA said the process that has seen republicanism move towards democracy remained a gradual one.
He said he beleived "factors which may delay the required transformation of political republicanism", still lay ahead and said unionism would remain " vigilant in how we deal with republicans, whether on the policing and justice issue or on wider matters."
The Stormont Minster said as the New Year dawned people across the North would be expecting to see delivery on devolution.
"Ongoing worldwide financial pressures have made improvements more difficult to achieve, according to most economists things will probably worsen before they begin to ease. The test for all Government Departments in Northern Ireland is to be ready to take advantage when the international climate does begin to improve," he added.
