Senior Ulster Unionists and Sinn Fein have clashed over policing and decommissioning as British and Irish officials continue their efforts to break the political deadlock.
The political pressure intensified last night as Arts Minister Mr Michael McGimpsey insisted his party would maintain sanctions against Sinn Fein in the absence of IRA movement on arms decommissioning.
His UUP party colleague and Environment Minister, Mr Sam Foster, meanwhile, said the SDLP had to decide between "good government" and following a "Sinn Fein/IRA agenda".
In advance of meetings of the UUP's 14-member officer board on Friday and its 110-member executive on Saturday, pro-Belfast Agreement Ulster Unionists made something of a preemptive strike against their anti-agreement wing yesterday by adopting a hard line on the stances of Sinn Fein and the SDLP.
Mr McGimpsey told BBC's Spotlight programme last night the ban on Sinn Fein ministers attending North-South Ministerial Council meetings would remain until the IRA dealt with the arms issue to their satisfaction, notwithstanding a court ruling that the ban was illegal.
Sinn Fein had to remain in "detention" until the arms issue was dealt with, he said. Referring to Mr Gerry Adams's weekend comments that the agreement was on a "life-support machine", Mr McGimpsey told Spotlight, "republicans have put it on life support". The political process appeared to be going "backwards", he added.
The Sinn Fein Assembly member, Mr Alec Maskey, said Mr Adams had been attempting to illustrate in a measured way the difficulties facing the process. Mr Adams had emphasised efforts were continuing to end the logjam but it was up to Mr Blair to take the initiative, said Mr Maskey.
"I am very disappointed in Michael's tone because it is very belligerent. Clearly his party leadership is upping the ante before it meets its party officers this weekend," Mr Maskey added.
Mr Foster accused the SDLP of hypocrisy on policing. "In prevaricating on whether or not to take places on the new Policing Board the SDLP has shown a reluctance to help stabilise government in Northern Ireland, and in this respect they are almost indistinguishable from Sinn Fein," he said.
"The SDLP must make up their minds as to whether or not they truly want good government for Northern Ireland or whether they are content to follow the Sinn Fein/IRA agenda," he said.
Despite these bleak comments, London and Dublin said officials were "working around the clock" to try to find a formula to end the impasse over policing, decommissioning and putting arms beyond use.
The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, is due to meet the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, at Downing Street today while behind-the-scenes talks continue between British and Irish officials and senior representatives of the UUP, the SDLP and Sinn Fein.
Meanwhile, the North's Security Minister, Mr Adam Ingram, has revealed that nearly 100 of the applications to the proposed Policing Board have come from Catholics.
In a House of Commons written answer, Mr Ingram disclosed that 191 Protestants, 98 Catholics and 49 people whose religion was given as "other" had applied to become members of the Policing Board.
