The British government's eagerly awaited statement about the events of Bloody Sunday now seems unlikely to come before next Monday at the earliest.
Sources last night refused to rule any option in or out, but signalled that a statement this week now appeared unlikely.
In the House of Commons yesterday the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, said various Whitehall departments were continuing their evaluation of Dublin's review of the evidence, and that he hoped "to be in a position to make a statement soon".
It is expected that the statement will be to MPs in the House of Commons, with official sources discounting rumours that the Prime Minister might actually be preparing to travel to Derry.
With the whole issue about to move centre-stage ahead of next week's 26th anniversary, Irish Government sources were hoping for some indication of the likely content of the British response before the Taoiseach's visit to Derry tomorrow. Mr Ahern has already declared his intention to publish Dublin's review of the evidence. One source last night said the Taoiseach "obviously wouldn't want to make things difficult" for Mr Blair if a positive response for a full, independent inquiry was imminent.
There was a hardening belief in some Labour circles that - provided he could assure the Ministry of Defence that there was no question of prosecutions resulting - Mr Blair might be preparing to order a full review of the events of January 30th, 1972, when members of the Parachute Regiment shot and killed 14 unarmed civilians in highly controversial and still disputed circumstances.
In the Commons yesterday Mr Norman Godman MP pressed Mr Blair: "Do you agree that the families of those killed neither demand nor seek revenge nor the prosecutions of the soldiers concerned but that what they do demand, rightly and properly, is the uncovering of the truth of that awful day, and that can best be achieved by an inquiry?"
Mr Blair said: "I recognise that the pain and distress of January 30th, 1972, is clearly still there after 26 years and we have a duty to address that."