A frenetic round of political activity will continue today, through the weekend and into next week as the Irish and British governments try to convince Sinn Féin and the DUP that their formula for restoring devolution is a fair deal that disadvantages neither party. Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor, reports.
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, will consult his Assembly party in Belfast today.
The Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, will today consult TDs and senior officers in Dublin and will join with Mr Martin McGuinness and party chairman Mr Mitchell McLaughlin in a meeting with Assembly members in Belfast this evening.
Mr McLaughlin will discuss developments with party councillors in Dundalk tomorrow.
It should be clear by the end of next week whether the governments' blueprint for restoring devolution will be accepted by the DUP and Sinn Féin, according to Mr McGuinness and a DUP senior source. This would correspond with next Friday's November 26th effective deadline for a deal, set by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair.
While other sources warned that this deadline could slip, the general view was that it should be apparent by next Friday whether there is a real chance of a deal, although it could be the following week before final decisions either way are taken.
In the meantime Sinn Féin and the DUP are seeking "clarification" from the governments about their proposals. Among the DUP's concerns are gaining absolute guarantees that the IRA will fully decommission and end activity if the DUP agrees to share power with Sinn Féin in a reinstated Northern Executive and Assembly.
The governments' proposals place responsibility on the IRA to show some future photographic evidence of decommissioning to unionists, most likely after devolution is restored.
The IRA is also said to be prepared to allow senior Protestant and Catholic church representatives to join decommissioning chief Gen John de Chastelain in overseeing future acts of IRA disarmament, but that it still has difficulties over providing photographs, even if not immediately.
The governments are prepared as far as possible to deal with the questions from Sinn Féin and the DUP but, as sources said, this genuinely must be in the realm of clarification and must not be a prolonged process. "We are listening to what people are saying but we can't restart the negotiations," said a senior source.
Dublin and London know that either or both sides ultimately could reject the paper but seem convinced that the key to success primarily rests with the DUP leader. Sources said they just could not predict what decision he will take.
Dr Paisley was not giving much away yesterday. He complained that on initial scrutiny there were "some areas of confusing ambiguity and even apparent inconsistency" in the paper and that he would require clarification of "a number of matters where there is a lack of detail or the use of imprecise text".
More tantalisingly he added: "While on one construction it is possible, if our outstanding concerns were removed, to see a basis for agreement, other interpretations of some sections would result in a less favourable judgment. We must not allow a lack of clarity to lead to misunderstanding and dispute at a later stage."
In relation to accepting IRA commitments, he said that Mr Blair must "confirm to us that in each and every respect, the IRA has accepted the nature, extent and particulars of that part of the agreement which impacts on its activities and position".
Mr McGuinness said the Sinn Féin meeting with Mr Blair yesterday was useful and positive, but such was the "delicate and critical stage" that the process had reached, he was not prepared to go into detail.