Mr David Trimble after again achieving victory over his internal opponents at the Ulster Unionist Council in Belfast on Saturday appealed to party rebels not to split the Ulster Unionist Party, writes Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor.
That appeal was immediately rejected, and the UUP leader must now consider whether to proceed with disciplinary action against the dissident MPs, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, Mr David Burnside and the Rev Martin Smyth.
Party officers meet in Belfast on Friday to consider the issue, while the following day the party's 110-member executive will also debate whether the three MPs should be censured for rejecting the ruling of the UUC.
Mr Trimble is also expected to hold talks with his former chief lieutenant, Sir Reg Empey, to hear whether he will remain loyal to his leadership. Some Ulster Unionists continue to push for an alternative leadership of Sir Reg and Mr Donaldson on a so-called "dream ticket" .
Mr Donaldson said on Saturday that talks would continue with Sir Reg, who would make no comment after Saturday's UUC.
By 443 votes (55 per cent) to 359 votes (45 per cent) the council on Saturday effectively re-endorsed Mr Trimble as Ulster Unionist leader by supporting his amendment urging the MPs to resume the party whip at Westminster and accept the decisions of the UUC.
"The reality of the situation is the party and the Ulster Unionist Council have voted for themselves. They've voted to say to people, accept the decisions of the council," Mr Trimble told reporters after Saturday's vote in the Ulster Hall. "And they voted to say to people, withdraw your threat to split the party and retake the whip.
"Of course, if people retake the whip, as I made clear, then the issue that gives rise to consideration of disciplinary proceedings falls by the wayside," he added.
And he appealed for an end to perpetual internal squabbling.
"If only we devoted the energy and time that has been spent on infighting to pursuing our objectives and ensuring that we do improve the situation for all of the people of Northern Ireland, what a good thing that would be. I would appeal to party colleagues to reflect on that."
Of the potential Empey-Donaldson axis, he said he was sure Sir Reg would want to talk to him about this issue.
"In view of all the help and friendship there has been I owe him the loyalty of not commenting and I would still believe at heart that he wants to achieve all that we have worked for over the last seven years," he said.
He said the dissident MPs should support the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) even though they had said they would oppose it at Westminster.
"This legislation is giving powers to the British government, and only to the British government, to exclude ministers from the Northern Ireland executive, and to impose other remedies, penalties, sanctions in the event of people not being committed to fully peaceful and democratic means," said Mr Trimble..
"Those provisions cannot be opposed by any unionist, and cannot be opposed by unionists who since April 1998 have been saying that the sanctions provisions in the agreement are weak and need to be strengthened," he added.
A new kind of survival for Trimble: page 14;
Editorial comment: page 15