The Irish and British governments and the North's political parties will consider a series of documents in talks next week in an attempt to agree a sequence of statements and events that could reinstate the suspended political institutions.
A number of documents have been considered in discussions in Belfast this week between senior officials and politicians.
Sources say these contain "some creative ideas" and that some progress has been made, but that serious differences remain on the crucial issue of how to restore the political institutions through movement on the disarmament issue.
With a week to go to Easter, the second anniversary of the signing of the Belfast Agreement, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, may travel to Belfast next week as the pace of discussions intensifies.
The Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, and the North's political leaders also will be involved in the attempt to make a breakthrough before Easter.
Sources in both governments remain cautious, however, with some suggesting that the Sinn Fein leadership is not engaged in serious discussion of the steps needed to restore the institutions, and that the gap between it and the Ulster Unionists remains wide.
While some sources believe the governments could issue a joint statement next week in an attempt to start the process of reinstatement of the institutions, most believe this is unlikely, and that talks could continue into May.
Irish and British officials continued working yesterday on a document designed to outline what aspects of the Belfast Agreement have been implemented and what remains to be done.
Producing plans and timetables for the implementation of controversial aspects, such as RUC reform and changes to the criminal justice system, is crucial to winning Sinn Fein support.
Reaching agreement on these issues is seen as crucial to attempts to get an IRA commitment that paramilitary weapons will not be used again. The statement by the Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, in Washington on St Patrick's Day that he would consider reentering the Executive without "arms up front" has added impetus to these efforts.
But so far there has been no indication of flexibility from the republican movement, with the Sinn Fein leader, Mr Gerry Adams, saying Sinn Fein cannot get the IRA to say the war is over.
Attempts to make progress on this issue are understood to centre on getting some form of words from the IRA to the effect that the threat that paramilitary weapons will be used again is gone.
Reliable sources say, however, that while republicans have attended discussions on this matter, they have not engaged in negotiation about what they would say or do to bring about the return of the institutions.
If no further progress is made, "ultimately the two governments may have to call it at some stage", according to one source. This would involve the governments publishing their "audit" of the agreement and plans for implementing its remaining aspects, hoping this would kick-start the process of compromise.
Both governments believe that the closer it gets to the May 22nd deadline for decommissioning contained in the Belfast Agreement - and the impending marching season - the harder it may be to reach an accord.