Ulster Unionist Party leader Mr David Trimble plans to put any "acts of completion" deal to restore Northern Ireland's devolved government to a meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) on April 26th.
This was confirmed last night as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, prepared for talks with Northern Secretary Mr Paul Murphy in Belfast today ahead of next Thursday's expected Hillsborough summit to be hosted by the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.
Mr Trimble's consultation with colleagues about the timing of a UUC meeting is the clearest signal of his cautious confidence that Mr Blair and Mr Ahern can effect a political breakthrough.
However, unionist sources stress that any UUC meeting remains contingent on the scale and terms of the IRA's response to the "shared understanding" to be published by the two governments defining all "acts of completion" necessary to ensure the full implementation of the Belfast Agreement.
London and Dublin and the Sinn Féin leadership have reportedly been advised that - in order to meet this timetable for a UUC decision in advance of Assembly elections on May 29th - Mr Trimble would need the IRA to give its response to the proposals of the two governments by April 15th.
The fact that talks involving all the main players have continued through the week is regarded in London as a positive sign.
One possible sticking point, however, remains Mr Trimble's continuing demand that the expected act of IRA decommissioning should be both publicly visible and be in the context of a fresh republican commitment to an ongoing process of disarmament.
It is clear that the UUP leader does not regard Sinn Féin's continued refusal to endorse the Police Service of Northern Ireland or take its seats on the Policing Board as an impediment to restoring the Executive.
As the Policing Bill completed its remaining stages in the House of Lords yesterday, the British government accepted a Liberal Democrat amendment, supported by the Conservatives, making the controversial new clauses - concerning the disqualification of former prisoners serving as independent members of District Policing Partnership Boards, and the creation of four separate DPPBs for Belfast - conditional upon the restoration of the devolved government.