The RUC has not yet decided whether to reroute a republican march into Belfast city centre tomorrow.
The Assistant Chief Constable for Belfast, Mr Bill Stewart, yesterday met a delegation of unionist councillors who demanded that the anti internment parade be banned. An RUC spokesman described the meeting as "useful and constructive". The RUC would wait and see what happened today in Derry before it made a decision, he said.
Mr Jim Rodgers, of the UUP, who led the unionist delegation, said the march to Belfast City Hall must be rerouted public disorder. The rally had been organised by "Sinn Fein and IRA" and it would be "sickening" for republicans to walk the city centre at such a tense period.
At last year's rally, the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, said the IRA had not "gone away", said Mr Rodgers. Loyalists were considering counter demonstrations if the republican parade went ahead.
Sinn Fein has claimed the unionists are engaged in political point scoring. A party spokesman said the march had been voluntarily rerouted away from three loyalist areas and that it was not in any way provocative.
Several thousand people are expected to take part in the rally which commemorates the 25th anniversary of internment.