The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, is likely to have further talks in London today with the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, amid growing speculation about a possible breakthrough in the Northern Ireland peace process.
The British government remains confident that intensive negotiations with the parties can resume at Hillsborough tomorrow despite the question mark raised by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, at the end of yesterday's marathon session at 10 Downing Street.
A Downing Street spokesman could not say if Mr Blair and Mr Trimble would meet. However, the UUP leader is expected to return to London for Prime Minister's Question Time this afternoon. Party sources said it was likely they would meet if anything substantial had emerged during yesterday's talks between Mr Blair, Mr Ahern and the Sinn Fein delegation.
It seems clear the two governments are seeking the restoration of the suspended Executive on the back of an explicit republican pledge to put weapons permanently beyond use. The Ulster Unionists are believed to be holding out for a clear IRA commitment to a verifiable process of actual decommissioning.
However, the expectation in unionist circles is that Mr Trimble will come under increasing pressure from Mr Blair not to make the restoration of the Executive conditional upon decommissioning or a specific timetable for its achievement under the supervision of the International Commission.
Usually reliable sources last night predicted Mr Trimble would be unable to carry the Ulster Unionist Council on a reworking of the IRA's statement of February 11th, unless he won substantial concessions in other areas, most notably in relation to the Patten reforms of the RUC.
It was also noted that the defection of just four UUP Assembly members over any new deal would give the anti-agreement bloc the power to disrupt the working of the Assembly under the rules governing consensus and designated "key" issues.
However, there was no mistaking the changed political mood, as the Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, spoke of already having narrowed the differences over the devolution/ decommissioning impasse.
The seriousness of the latest London-Dublin push for a breakthrough was underlined by re ports that Mr Blair and his chief-of-staff, Mr Jonathan Powell, met Sinn Fein leaders last weekend in preparation for yesterday's round of talks. A Downing Street spokesman was unable to confirm or deny the reports of a previously undisclosed meeting.