The Ulster Unionists' ban on Sinn Fein ministers attending North/South Ministerial Council meetings has to be retracted if the North's institutions are to be saved from collapse, Sinn Fein's Education Minister, Mr Martin McGuinness, has said.
Speaking before the North's first Executive meeting since the imposition of the ban, Mr McGuinness insisted that Ulster Unionists had made a mistake in imposing the sanctions. While he was still hopeful that the situation could be resolved, the UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, had to realise that his approach had jeopardised devolved government in Northern Ireland, Mr McGuinness added.
"It will not be business as usual," Mr McGuinness said as he and his party colleague, the Health Minister, Ms Bairbre de Brun, prepared to go into the meeting.
"It is very clear to us that David Trimble's approach has jeopardised the institutions, put the institutions at risk because the institutions are interdependent.
"I clearly see the decisions he has taken as a very clear breach of the Good Friday agreement, of the Act which set up these institutions and the ministerial code. "For the First Minister to then effectively turn around and say that Sinn Fein ministers are in detention is absolutely crazy.
"It does not help the type of project we're involved in and there is a huge responsibility on them to realise that this approach clearly isn't going to work. So we're going in to talk about these problems and hopefully we can resolve these problems," Mr McGuinness concluded.
Following the Executive meeting, ministers remained silent with the customary press conference by the First and Deputy First Ministers being cancelled and a Sinn Fein press briefing called off. In a statement, the Executive said it had had a "comprehensive exchange of views about the question of ministerial nominations to the North/South Ministerial Council," but would not say whether any progress had been made.
Meanwhile, a Sinn Fein MLA, Mr Gerry Kelly, has called on the British government to "stop hiding behind the unionist smokescreen" and start implementing the Patten report in full.
"In the final analysis it is the British government which must shoulder the responsibility for this issue," Mr Kelly said, launching his party's sub-committee's latest critical report on police reform.
Elsewhere, the Belfast High Court has granted Sinn Fein leave to apply for a judicial review of the Northern Secretary's regulations on the flying of the Union flag on 17 designated days in the year.