The Ulster Unionist Party is unlikely to make any key decisions on policing or returning to government with Sinn Fein when its 120-strong executive meets today.
Sources say the party will postpone its decision on policing to put pressure on the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, to make concessions to unionists. So far the SDLP is the only one of the four main parties to agree to make nominations to the new Police Board. Mr David Trimble is understood to be keen to sign up to the board, but he could not currently rely on the support of a majority of his party. The UUP believes the SDLP secured significant concessions on several policing issues.
"The pressure they applied worked, and we are going to play it the same way," a pro-agreement source said. "At the moment I don't think we could get the party to agree to go on to the Police Board. We will just have to see what John Reid is going to do to address these concerns." The party's 14-member officer board held a four-hour meeting in Belfast yesterday, but no vote was taken on either policing or returning to government with Sinn Fein.
The DUP wants the UUP to support a motion at Stormont to expel Sinn Fein from the Executive. Although the proposal would fail, because of the SDLP's refusal to support it, a cross-party unionist motion on the matter would be a blow to the Belfast Agreement. Speaking after the meeting, Mr Trimble welcomed the SDLP's decision to make nominations to the Police Board. His party supported law and order but it had concerns on several policing matters which must be addressed, he said.
An anti-agreement source said: "It was a very frank discussion, and there were not strict divisions between the pro- and anti-agreement wings. There were people who supported the agreement who held very strong views on the policing issue."
Speaking earlier, Mr Trimble warned that the peace process would stay deadlocked unless the republican leadership came clean over the three Irishmen arrested in Colombia.
Events in Colombia completely undermined the republican movement's credibility, he said. "I cannot see this issue being resolved in the next few weeks and I cannot see circumstances where we would be able to resume office unless republicans this time come clean, and seriously try to convince the people of Northern Ireland that they do mean to commit themselves to exclusively peaceful and democratic means."
Mr Gerry Adams has already said his party has no case to answer. Mr Trimble described the responses of Sinn Fein and its president as nauseating. "It is time Mr Adams had an encounter with the truth and told the rest of us the truth," he said.
Mr Trimble said events in Colombia could not be underestimated. "It is the most important thing that has happened in the last few weeks and it calls into question the whole basis upon which we have been proceeding in the last few years. I cannot emphasise strongly enough how important this issue is," he said.
Talks to rescue the Belfast Agreement are due to begin next week, but if there is no deal within three weeks Dr Reid will have to decide to call fresh Assembly elections or suspend the body for the third time.
It is understood he would opt for suspension and then order a full-scale review of the agreement. The British government is not keen to hold elections which could see further advances for Sinn Fein and the DUP.