Mr David Trimble this morning comes out against a motion, to be debated by his party's ruling council on Saturday, seeking to tie re-entry into the power-sharing executive with a British government commitment to retain the RUC's "Royal" title.
In an interview with The Irish Times, the Ulster Unionist leader says he supports the objective of the motion - tabled by London-based businessman Mr David Burnside - but considers the tactic "ill-advised".
And while insisting his own tactical approach to Saturday's emergency meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council is undecided, Mr Trimble says there will be no implications for his leadership if the motion is carried against his wishes.
Two Ulster Unionist MPs have still finally to decide whether or not to mount a challenge to Mr Trimble's leadership at the party's annual meeting on Saturday. However, with Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, the Lagan Valley MP, believed to be firmly against any leadership contest, key figures on the party's right wing think the chances of a challenge now highly unlikely.
And attention last night was more sharply focused on the party's RUC debate, scheduled for an emergency session of the UUC immediately following the a.g.m., with Mr Trimble winning powerful backing for his position from Viscount Cranborne, the former Conservative leader in the House of Lords and a staunch unionist supporter.
In a letter to Mr Burnside, Lord Cranborne says: "I am sorry to find that you are engaged in perpetrating the greatest tactical blunder undertaken by the Ulster Unionist Party in the last few years." While restating his own "profound belief" that the RUC's name should not be changed, and that its cap badge should be retained, Lord Cranborne says the whole basis of the RUC's case is that it is a non-sectarian force.
In his interview, Mr Trimble disagrees with the assertion by his colleague, Mr Ken Maginnis MP, that the passage of the RUC motion would reduce the Ulster Unionists to a "single-issue party and immobilise the entire political process. "It wouldn't have that effect," he says "but I still think it would be ill-advised."
Mr Trimble also insists nothing of substance has changed as a result of his Washington comments, and says he intensely dislikes suggestions that the two governments are hoping for greater flexibility in his approach to the arms issue once clear of his party's annual meeting.
And he predicts "a serious credibility problem" will arise if the May 22nd deadline for IRA decommissioning is not met.
The Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister will meet in Lisbon on the fringes of the two-day EU Employment Summit which begins today, writes Mark Brennock from Lisbon.
They will review the outcome of the talks held two weeks ago between the Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, and the Northern Ireland parties. Their talks will also take in developments in Washington around St Patrick's Day.
Both governments believe that if progress is to be made this must happen before Easter.
Mr Ahern was originally expected to meet Mr Blair last night but mechanical trouble delayed the takeoff of the Government jet from Dublin Airport by several hours, causing the cancellation of the meeting.