THE Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, and the DUPE leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, are expected to meet today in the latest attempt to broker a pact among unionists for the Westminster general election.
Contentious seats such as North Belfast and West Tyrone are high on the agenda as the two parties search for an agreement on which party will stand in particular constituencies.
However, there is little optimism of a settlement given that the Ulster Unionists last week announced Mr Peg Dempey as a candidate for East Belfast, where the sitting MP is DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson. And Mr Robinson's wife, Iris, announced she will be standing for the DUP in Strangford constituency, which has been held by the Ulster Unionists' deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, for the past 14 years.
Meanwhile, the Progressive Unionist Party is expected to meet this week to decide if its leader, Mr David Ervine, will stand in the forthcoming general election.
The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, has again condemned any pact with Sinn Fein while there is no ceasefire.
At the weekend another rowbroke cut between the SDLP and the Ulster Unionists following the leaking of a government document to yesterday's Observer newspaper, which claims Mr Trimble demanded a "personal veto" to allow him to call a halt to political negotiations at Stormont.
Mr Trimble was not contactable for comment on the "memo", but it is claimed he wanted to be able to "pull the communication cord" rather than "pull the plug" on the talks, adding that he did not want to walk out but would have to if there was something dodgy".
The Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, has warned Sinn Fein that any settlement in Northern Ireland would be subject to a unionist veto. In a statement to yesterday's Sunday Times, he accused Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, of adopting contradictory positions on the vital issue of consent.
This statement represents the Irish Government's definitive view on the whole question of consent. If there is no agreement to a settlement, and that settlement is then forced on those who do not agree then coercion is involved.
Meanwhile, Mr Taylor admitted at the weekend that his party had used the parliamentary arithmetic at Westminster to secure political advantages for Northern Ireland. However, he said this did not mean there was a deal with the British government.
Speaking on the BBC's Inside Politics programme on Saturday, Mr Taylor said. "We would be failing in our duty as Ulster Unionists in our responsibility to the people of Northern Ireland if we did not seek to take advantage of the present balance within the House of Commons.
"No deals, no understandings, but David Trimble and myself have been having private meetings on a regular basis over the past six months with the Secretary of State and with the Prime Minister."
Mr Taylor added that he and Mr Trimble had been having regular meetings with the Labour leadership. He said he understood the all party talks at Stormont would be adjourning on Wednesday.
"This is a matter really for the government, and they have not brought me into their confidence as yet, but all the signs are that they are preparing not for a suspension of the talks, because that produces a legal process and a parliamentary process, but for an adjournment of the talks for, say, the next 12 weeks because it would have to bring us up to not just a British general election, but also for our own Northern Ireland local elections which are on May 21st."
He said it would be sensible to adjourn both the talks at Stormont and the Forum.