The Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, will today announce the suspension of the power-sharing Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly from midnight, and the return of direct rule from London.
During a Hillsborough Castle press conference this morning, Dr Reid will announce an open-ended suspension of the institutions, although British sources refused to say when all-party crisis talks would begin.
The Taoiseach yesterday played down the notion that the British and Irish governments would run Northern Ireland jointly in coming months. "Joint authority is a highly provocative term for unionists," Mr Ahern told The Irish Times.
However, the Government will push for speedy negotiations. "I don't think it would be good for the peace process if we were to be in suspension all the way until May." the Taoiseach said.
The North's Deputy First Minister, Mr Mark Durkan, is believed to have come under strong pressure from Dublin not to serve alongside the First Minister, Mr David Trimble, in a "shadow" administration.
The Government suspects that this could amount to exclusion of Sinn Féin "by another means", sources say. The Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, said suspension would not help bring about the disbandment of the Provisional IRA. The actions of the North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, ran contrary to his aim, Mr Adams said.
However, Mr Trimble said if the Sinn Féin leadership had any principles, they would resign their ministerial positions to prevent the suspension of the Assembly and the Executive, which punished "the innocent and the guilty".
"If Martin McGuinness were a man of integrity, he would resign, and there would then be no suspension," Mr Trimble said. "If Mr McGuinness wants politics to go on, let him do the decent thing.
"His colleagues organised a massive spying ring on me, on John Reid, on Tony Blair and on President Bush. Is that normal politics?"
However, Mr McGuinness said he had no intention of resigning his seat. Sinn Féin had a strong electoral mandate and had been very much at the heart of building the peace process, he said.
Mr Durkan said all-party talks to restore the Assembly and Executive must begin as soon as possible.
Durkan under pressure to reject plan for 'shadow' role: page 7