The United States government will today tell Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams if he will be allowed to raise money for the party during a visit to New York and Washington this week.
Sinn Féin has said Mr Adams will cancel the trip if he is not allowed to attend fundraising events, including a Friends of Sinn Féin dinner in New York on Thursday.
The administration has indicated that Mr Adams will be given a visa to travel to the US but he will not be allowed to raise funds until Sinn Féin makes "positive statements" about policing in the North.
Sinn Féin's chief negotiator Martin McGuinness last week warned that "any heavy handed attempt by the State Department to try and dictate Sinn Féin policy on policing is misguided and will do nothing to help in the resolution of this key issue".
Sinn Féin yesterday said it hoped the issue would be resolved without acrimony and that Mr Adams would travel to the US tomorrow. By last night, however, the party had made no new statement on policing that was likely to persuade Washington to drop the ban.
Sinn Féin is allowed to raise money in the US but, since January, visiting politicians have been told that they may not take part in fundraising events. The ban was imposed in response to the Northern Bank robbery and the murder of Robert McCartney.
The US administration has said it wants Mr Adams to visit the country to promote the peace process but Washington also wants Sinn Féin to make a move towards accepting the Police Service of Northern Ireland.