The Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, has convened a meeting of his Assembly Party for later today at which he is expected to deliver his verdict on the proposed deal to break the devolution/decommissioning deadlock in the peace process.
The indication last night, according to senior party sources, was that Mr Trimble was "very close" to gambling his political career on the quality of a republican "commitment" to a decommissioning process to follow the creation of Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive.
One source said he thought further amendments made yesterday to the draft Sinn Fein and IRA statements - key ingredients in any sequencing process leading to devolution - could be enough to tempt Mr Trimble into a "back me or sack me" appeal to his ruling Ulster Unionist Council (UUC).
However, Mr Trimble faced the first signs of resistance within his Assembly Party during an initial round of consultations on the shape of the emerging proposals at Stormont last night.
At least two of his 26 colleagues are believed to have told him they do not consider the proposed statements, or the assumed appointment of an IRA interlocutor to deal with the International Decommissioning Commission, enough to meet the party's terms for entering into government with Sinn Fein.
Mr Trimble is also planning a face-to-face meeting with his deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, ahead of today's Assembly party meeting, which could be crucial to his final decision on whether to take the package to an emergency meeting of the UUC.
Nervous British government sources last night urged caution and insisted nothing should or could be taken for granted until Mr Trimble's party consultations were complete. But within the party itself there was growing speculation that November 27th has been pencilled in for the UUC meeting.
That in turn reinforced the belief that the Mitchell review might indeed result in a deal which would see the appointment of ministers by the beginning of December.
There were unconfirmed reports last night that one barrier facing Mr Trimble would be removed in the event of an agreement with Sinn Fein, and that Mr Seamus Mallon would seek to withdraw his July resignation as deputy first minister, so removing the need for a re-election commanding an absolute majority of designated unionist votes in the Assembly.