The Irish and British governments were tonight preparing to hear whether Northern Ireland politicians would accept or reject the latest package aimed at saving the peace process.
But the two parties at the centre of the wrangling indicated they were unlikely to provide responses to the new blueprint by tomorrow as the governments had hoped.
Sinn Féin again signalled it was holding out for the publication of documents about police reform, criminal justice and demilitarisation before revealing its position. However there was little evidence that Ulster Unionists would accept the plan in any course as the IRA remained silent about its weapons.
Party leader Mr David Trimble said nobody could blame his party for rejecting the package unless it was accompanied by decommissioning.
Speaking on BBC television Mr Trimble today hit out at nationalists and republicans for the roles they have played since the signing of the Belfast Agreement.
Mr Trimble said republicans and nationalists had been handed major concessions in the rescue package but continued to increase their demands.
That would continue to happen until the British government "plucks up the courage" to place public as well as private pressure on republicans to disarm, he said.
"The (British) government has to rethink the political context in which it is operating and it has to signal clearly by putting pressure on republicans that there has to be an end to all violence," he added.
Mr Trimble reiterated his warning that Ulster Unionists would not back down on demands for IRA disarmament before accepting the peace process rescue package.
He was speaking after the Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid said there was no "secret deal" to bring about a breakthrough on the issue ahead of the deadline for fresh elections to or dissolution of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Meanwhile Sinn Féin Stormont Assembly member Mr Alex Maskey today described the package as a "statement of intent" which was short on detail, adding that he did not expect the Ulster Unionists to agree to a return to Northern Ireland's fledgling political institutions.
Mr Maskey told RTE radio: "We want David Trimble to survive as first minister but it really is up to the Unionist Party who is their leader.
"We want the political institution to survive - David Trimble has walked away from them.
"In my personal opinion, I don't think the Unionist Party will agree to the return to the political institutions."
On the issue of policing, he said his party needed more specifics, including on how to ensure "democratic authority" over the new police service and making it representative of both communities.
He said: "So we have, in a sense, a statement of intent but there is absolutely nothing in terms of the how and the when these things will actually happen."
He said there was a "fixation" with disarmament even though the IRA "was not at the negotiating table." He said it was the job of politicians to create a situation where all paramilitary organisations were "redundant".
PA