The Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, has called for an end to infighting in the UUP. Yesterday he expressed confidence he would win the challenge to his leadership at today's annual general meeting of the party's ruling council.
The 860-strong council will decide between the Rev Martin Smyth, an anti-agreement party MP, and Mr Trimble, who has led the party for more than four years.
This is the first formal challenge to his position.
"I am sorry to see that there are still some people in our party who are more eager to fight other unionists rather than to fight the enemies of unionism. I think that is a shame," said Mr Trimble at a news conference in the party's headquarters in Glengall Street in Belfast.
Seventeen UUP Assembly members surrounded Mr Trimble in support.
The party chairman, Lord Rogan, the deputy leader, Mr John Taylor and the security spokesman, Mr Ken Maginnis, also flanked him.
Mr Trimble said he was surprised Mr Smyth had run against him as he had expected any challenge to emanate from another anti-agreement MP, Mr William Ross.
He stressed the party was democratic and that any contest could help to "clear the air".
"Willie and Martin are people that were at the centre of the Unionist Party for 10 or 15 years. Let's be frank about it, in that time they achieved the Anglo-Irish Agreement and they achieved the Framework Document. That was my inheritance as leader," Mr Trimble said.
"When that challenge is over - as I believe it will be tomorrow - and over with the present policy and leadership endorsed significantly - then I will call upon Martin and Willie and the others to this time respect the decisions of the Ulster Unionist Council."
Mr Trimble said his leadership had turned around the past political decline of unionism and the Belfast Agreement had secured notable gains for the Union, including a clear statement of the consent principle and an end to the Republic's territorial claim over Northern Ireland.
"We have also seen the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, of our country, recognised in the agreement and what better way of demonstrating the recognition of that sovereignty than by the actions that were taken by Her Majesty's government in February of this year to suspend the Northern Ireland Assembly?"
He called on the anti-agreement wing of the party to accept the democratic decision at today's meeting and end internal strife in the party over the agreement.
This was their duty "as Ulster Unionists and as democrats".
Mr Trimble said he believed the UUP had pursued policies that were in the best interests of all the people of Northern Ireland. "I want to see this party reinvigorate, modernise, and renew itself," he added.
Referring to his recent comments in Washington, when he spoke of his party's willingness to return to a devolved government "without guns up front" provided republicans supplied certainty on decommissioning, Mr Trimble said this was simply a restatement of party policy.
"There are still things to be done. We still want to see devolution work, we still want to see decommissioning occur. They are the objectives that I am pursuing and pursuing vigorously.
"I know some people got confused about the comments that were made in Washington, but that's all that they were," he said.
Mr Trimble cautioned against the adoption of a motion on the RUC to be discussed in the name of Mr David Burnside at an emergency council meeting directly after the a.g.m.
The motion links the party's re-entry into government to the retention of the name of the RUC He said he shared the objective of the motion but questioned the tactics and said an amendment to the motion would be tabled. "I think the particular form of the Burnside motion is ill-advised."
However, Mr Taylor, who has declared support for Mr Trimble in the leadership contest, said he would be supporting the motion. News from the UUC meeting will be updated throughout the day on The Irish Times website at: www.ireland.com