Sinn Féin and the Ulster Unionists will hold a sixth meeting in the coming days aimed at securing sufficient progress to facilitate the calling of Assembly elections.
Mr Gerry Adams and Mr David Trimble met yesterday at the Northern Ireland Office in London, accompanied by Mr Martin McGuinness and Mr Michael McGimpsey.
Bilateral talks have also continued between the two parties and officials of both the British and Irish governments with Mr Tony Blair's chief-of-staff, Mr Jonathan Powell, reportedly playing a central role.
It is expected that the Taoiseach and Mr Blair will consider matters further when they meet at an EU inter-governmental conference in Rome on Friday and Saturday.
Despite growing expectation of an autumn election, sources close to the talks admit much progress remains to be made.
However, everyone contacted yesterday by The Irish Times confirmed that the atmosphere between Mr Adams and Mr Trimble remained positive.
As they met, Sir Reg Empey warned the British government not to try and force the pace with hints of an election without "acts of completion". But Mr McGuinness, speaking after the latest UUP-SF meeting, said there should still be an election regardless of the outcome of the talks.
"The election is the accelerator because we have no intention whatsoever of going near the IRA until it is absolutely clear that an election will take place. Naturally, in the context of an election taking place, we will play our part as we have continuously over the course of recent years played our part to ensure the continuation of the peace process and the full implementation of the agreement."
Sir Reg, in his first public pronouncement on the current political situation since the Ulster Unionist Council a month ago, was emphatic that acts of completion could be the only basis for the calling of an election.
"We need to have an end to republican terrorism once and for all," he said.
"We need them to say it, we need them to do it and we need them to abide by it."
Other unionists contacted expressed fears that pressure on the IRA to end all activity would be eased if Mr Blair opted to call elections in an effort to break the political deadlock.
This argument is accepted with some sympathy in both Dublin and London, although one trusted source at Stormont indicated that the ongoing postponement of elections would be maintained unless it was shown to be causing more harm than good.
One reliable Dublin source said much work remained to be done by the talks participants, but it was conceded that the mood was more positive than last spring when efforts at agreement broke down and the elections were cancelled.
The Irish Times was told three crucial aspects still needed to be agreed, namely the calling of elections, the ending of paramilitary activity and the need for unionists to confirm their willingness to sustain any restored Northern institutions. All three issues were inter-linked.
An Ulster Unionist spokesman said last night "a mountain remained to be climbed before elections". Republicans insist concentration on a move by the IRA was unhelpful and that the agenda contained many more items, including human rights issues and the question of unionist willingness to work the agreement.
"All parties must cross the Rubicon together," said one reliable contact. Ms Bairbre de Brún, the former health minister, in a statement said: "We need to deal with the transfer of powers on policing and justice, demilitarisation, equality and human rights, and the sustainability of the political institutions. There is a collective responsibility on us all to move each of these issues forward." The two prime ministers, officials and the political parties have about 10 days in which to hammer out a deal to facilitate the calling of a mid-November election.