There was no indication last night of an early response from the North's political parties to the latest invitation from the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, to provide nominations for the proposed Policing Board.
Both governments have been hoping to see some agreement on the policing issue prior to the Saturday deadline for suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The only hope being held out for salvation of the Assembly appears to be a change of heart on the part of the IRA over decommissioning. The republicans are known to have come under pressure, particularly from the US.
Interviewed in yesterday's edition of the unionist newspaper, Newsletter, in Belfast, Mr Trimble said: "There are problems still on the policing issue and on the decommissioning issue.
"On policing there have been discussions in recent days. Some progress has been made and I am hopeful that we will be able to make some further progress in the course of the next day or two but the ball is very much, as far as I am concerned, in the court of the Secretary of State."
If the IRA was to shift significantly on decommissioning, this could lead to a last-minute reprieve for the Assembly if Mr Trimble agreed to withdraw his resignation as First Minister and resume his duties.
If there is no movement on policing in the next few days there are growing fears that the Assembly will move into open-ended suspension.
Dr Reid has three options on Saturday: new elections; another 24-hour suspension; or an open-ended suspension.
On Monday night, Dr Reid sent letters for the second time to the four main parties, seeking their nominations for the board. Until the board is in place none of the major policing changes, including the name change, can be instituted.
The Ulster Unionists are refusing to nominate until they see changes granted by the British government to the SDLP - which unionists see as emerging from a nationalist agenda - drawn back.
The DUP and Sinn Fein are still, clearly, against the implementation of changes as outlined so far.
Only the SDLP has assented to nominate members to the board but has yet to name its nominees.
A leading Sinn Fein member has again said the arrests of three republicans in Colombia is in no way related to his party, adds Paul Tanney.
Mr Gerry Kelly was reacting to reports of a press briefing given by the US special envoy, Mr Richard Haass, where he said there would be consequences if the IRA was found to have been in league with the Colombian FARC.
Mr Kelly said the Sinn Fein president and chief negotiator, Mr Gerry Adams and Mr Martin McGuinness, had met Mr Haass and expressed their view that the arrests posed no threat to the peace process.
"At no time in his reported comments of yesterday or during the meeting last week did Mr Haass indicate that the United States held Sinn Fein accountable for the three Irish men arrested in Colombia or that action was being contemplated against Sinn Fein," he said.
Mr Kelly said opponents of the peace process who were cynically using the issue to undermine it would not succeed.