Mr Mark Durkan will tonight move to put his personal stamp on the leadership of the SDLP by addressing the North Down Unionist Association. He told The Irish Times last night he wanted a new strategic understanding to promote the Belfast Agreement and a "different relationship" between unionism and nationalism.
"I'm going to talk to unionists and I'm also going to listen to them," he said.
"I'm going to talk about how, in the context of the agreement, nationalism and unionism can enjoy a different relationship and engage constructively through shared political arrangements without diminishing anyone's unionism or nationalism.
"I'm not going there to talk of pacts or deals or anything else. I'm going to talk about what the agreement means for the relationship between unionism and nationalism.
"I'm going there to set out something of our vision for a new Ireland and to address the concerns of unionists."
Mr Durkan gave details of tonight's meeting during his first leader's address to the SDLP conference in Newcastle, Co Down a week ago. It was warmly received by delegates.
He said last night he would address political opportunities opened up under the Belfast Agreement. "We said in the council elections, just as we said previously in the Assembly elections, that anybody voting for us should transfer on to other pro-agreement parties or candidates, knowing that some parties' candidates were not pro-agreement.
"We did say that people should do that. That was our advice to our voters rather than us calling for something from other parties. Our point was to maximise the pro-agreement vote down the line. That's not a pact with parties. We're not saying that unless other parties do the same, we won't advise our voters accordingly.
"I've always taken the line that in working the agreement we can achieve partnership and reconciliation not just between unionist and nationalist, loyalist and republican but also between those who voted Yes and those who voted No."
He added: "There's no question of us seeking a pact with unionism - not just from our point of view. Also from a unionist point of view, you can imagine the line would be: 'Oh you're expelling people from your own party but trying to have a pact with another party'. It's not going to be sustainable within unionist politics."
The UUP has disciplined Assembly members Mr Peter Weir and Ms Pauline Armitage for failing to support Mr David Trimble in the vote for First Minister earlier this month.
Mr Durkan's hosts tonight will include the North Down MP, Lady Sylvia Hermon, who defeated UK Unionist Mr Robert McCartney in June's general election, and Assembly member Mr Alan McFarland.
The invitation was issued to Mr Durkan in September when it was known he would be Mr John Hume's successor.
The North Down unionists have organised a series of invitations to leading figures outside of their party. Lady Hermon confirmed at the weekend that Ms Nuala O'Loan, the Police Ombudsman, and Prof Brice Dickson, head of the North's Human Rights Commission had also been asked to address their members at future meetings.