HOPES for an early meeting between Mr Dick Spring and Mr David Trimble appeared to recede last night.
Meanwhile, ever widening differences between the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP over the next steps in the peace process continued to place a question mark over the timing of an Anglo Irish summit.
It emerged last night that the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, is actively considering a referendum although not on the questions suggested last week by the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume.
There is speculation that Mr Major might seek public approval for negotiations involving parties which had established an exclusive commitment to democratic means perhaps in terms of the language originally used in the Downing Street Declaration.
But after another day of frantic political activity, there was no evidence of emerging consensus on the sequence of proposed events which might enable Mr Major and the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, to launch a fresh political initiative.
Mr Trimble is set to reject the Tanaiste's attempt to broaden the agenda for their proposed talks, which the Government considers even more crucial in the wake of the IRA's resumed campaign of violence.
In a further letter to Mr Spring, the UUP leader is expected to repeat his unwillingness to discuss proposals for an elected body in the North, or its role in facilitating future all party negotiations, and to resist any suggestion that London and Dublin might jointly sponsor such an elective process.
After a meeting with Mr Major at Downing Street yesterday Mr Trimble said I don't think the approval of the Irish Government is required for elections in the United Kingdom. And I don't think we wish to see the Irish Government pretending to sponsor this process. I think that would not be helpful."
Mr Trimble is understood to have told Mr Major yesterday that Bosnia style "proximity talks" favoured by Dublin should follow the creation of an elected body, rather than precede it.
After the meeting, the UUP leader said they were agreed that elections still represented the best way forward.
Mr Trimble did they were also agreed that "there would have to be a further ceasefire," adding "It would have to be, this time a genuine ceasefire with a real commitment to peaceful means."
He said the "evidential burden" on Sinn Fein and the IRA "has increased" following the collapse of the ceasefire. Implicitly he said, that meant an acceptance of the Mitchell report's six principles and the "honouring" of them.
The UUP leader's plan is for the following sequence of events
. elections to a 90 member forum in the North
. a renewed IRA ceasefire
. proximity talks to verify the ceasefire and establish the basis for negotiations
. acceptance of the Mitchell report, including the six principles and its proposal for parallel decommissioning of weapons, and only then negotiations within the "three stranded" process.
While British ministers appear to have left the question open, senior unionists seem to have dismissed the idea that Sinn Fein could be prevented from contesting an election. They have also dropped the idea that candidates seeking election should first be asked as in local government elections in the North to sign a pledge of non violence.
Instead with Senator George Mitchell due in London and Dublin for talks today and tomorrow the unionist and Alliance locus is once more on the practical details of his proposal for the creation of an international commission to oversee a decommissioning process. Mr Trimble has made it clear he envisages eventual all party negotiations proceeding without Sinn Fein if it fails to comply with the Mitchell proposals.
British sources last night confirmed that an Anglo Irish summit could take place next Tuesday or early on Wednesday.