The DUP has warned Sinn Féin there is little immediate prospect of the devolution of policing and justice powers to any restored Stormont Executive.
North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds accused Sinn Féin of foot-dragging on support for the police. He insisted there could be no devolution "until there is confidence in the unionist community" and forecast that such confidence would not emerge for "a very, very long time".
"It will take a political lifetime before attitudes on this issue will change," he said. "The DUP has secured a double safeguard in that devolution of policing and justice will only take place if a majority of unionists in an Assembly were to vote for it and a unionist first minister were to propose it. Both these propositions are unlikely to happen in the conceivable future, certainly under DUP control."
He added: "The British government and Sinn Féin need therefore to be honest with people and not to pretend that republicans will get their hands on such powers. They will not."
His Lagan Valley colleague, Jeffrey Donaldson, also underscored the need for unionist consent to the establishment of a justice department at Stormont.
"We have ensured that there will be no devolution of policing and justice powers until such time as there is confidence in the unionist community," he said.
"Such confidence is unlikely to be achieved for the foreseeable future and the DUP will exercise its veto to make sure that there will be no devolution of these powers until there is sufficient unionist community confidence."
However, Mr Donaldson said his party's consultation on the St Andrews Agreement with the wider unionist electorate would continue despite pressure from the governments to declare by November 10th if they will support the restoration of devolution.
"There is more to do," he said. "There will be no rush to judgment in the coming days. We are pledged to consult widely and I would encourage unionists . . . to participate in our consultation process."
The party has also publicly questioned the possibility of a papal visit to Northern Ireland next year. East Derry MP Gregory Campbell said such a visit would be done "at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons".
Party delegations will meet at Stormont later today as efforts continue to arrive at a joint position in advance of talks tomorrow with chancellor Gordon Brown.