A UUP delegation met the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, in Downing Street yesterday to discuss procedural details of the all party negotiations, amid renewed speculation that a key role may be proposed for the former US senator, Mr George Mitchell.
Mr Mitchell, in his second public intervention on the Northern Ireland crisis within a few days, yesterday said he was ready to help the peace process if asked by the two governments.
His offer came amid reports of efforts to find agreement on the involvement of Mr Mitchell to resolve the impasse on arms decommissioning in the delicate build up to the June 10th talks.
The UUP delegation at Downing Street was led by the party leader, Mr David Trimble, with his deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, and Mr Reg Empey. These three men will form the UUP negotiating team at the all party talks.
The most likely role for Mr Mitchell would be to head an independent commission to monitor a phased decommissioning process which would take place during the process of all party negotiations.
The suggestion of the International Body on Decommissioning, chaired by Mr Mitchell, was that such a commission would be appointed by the two governments on the basis of consultations with the other parties to the negotiating process.
If such a commission could be agreed between all parties, it would build confidence that actual decommissioning would take place in sequence with the talks and might assuage Unionist fears that the issue of paramilitary weapons would be deferred until after political agreement is reached.
Mr Trimble last week strongly rejected the suggestion by the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, to rem it the decommissioning issue to an outside body. But his rejection of the idea was based on his interpretation that no actual decommissioning would happen until political negotiations were completed.
There have been suggestions that Mr Mitchell should be asked to chair either the elected forum or the all party negotiations. However, the electoral rules appear to preclude such a post being offered to someone who was not an elected member of the forum.
Moreover, the DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, has adamantly opposed such a role for Mr Mitchell, asserting that he has been "closely aligned" with the Irish nationalist lobby in the US and "could not be considered as being neutral".
However, the idea of an independent commission to oversee a carefully sequenced process of actual decommissioning during the talks is a different proposition, and might prove acceptable to mainstream unionism.
Mr Mitchell told the BBC at the weekend "The obvious and logical compromise is to provide for decommissioning during the period of talks."
In Bucharest yesterday on a private visit, Mr Mitchell again urged the IRA to renew its cease fire to secure Sinn Fein's place at the all party negotiations.
He told Reuters that he would be ready to help the forum, if asked.
"That would depend entirely on the governments themselves, he said. "Obviously if I can be of help I want to do so, but any decision will be made by the governments."