The Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, has effectively ruled out any early meeting with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern. But it appears that the unionists are likely to allow party members to take part in television or radio debates with Sinn Fein. While the Ulster Unionists are not withdrawing from the Stormont talks, it is emerging that the party is seeking commitments that the decommissioning of weapons will take place during talks. The unionists want to see both governments adhere to proposals put forward by the talks chairman, Mr George Mitchell, that decommissioning take place parallel to the talks process.
In a statement at the weekend, Mr Trimble said he wanted to see a "clear statement" from the Government about its position in relation to the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons.
"What I want to hear from Mr Ahern at the minute is a clear statement that the Irish Government will support the Mitchell compromise on the decommissioning of weapons: that is that decommissioning will take place during talks.
"It has been their failure to say this that has, more than anything else, caused the present impasse.
"While general invitations for an exchange of views are all very well, this one is designed to disguise the Irish Government's failure to support clearly the Mitchell Report."
The talks resume at Stormont today with a plenary session which is likely to be attended by the main political parties with the exception of the Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party and the fringe unionist group, the UK Unionists. Little further progress is expected at the talks before the process breaks for the holidays at the end of this week.
Substantive negotiations are still expected to begin on September 15th, if agreement can be reached on the decommissioning issue. While the unionists are insisting that some IRA weapons are handed over to the authorities on either side of the Border, the Sinn Fein leadership has indicated it believes no weapons will be surrendered prior to agreement being reached at the talks.
The Ulster Unionist chief negotiator at the Stormont talks, Mr Reg Empey, revealed at the weekend that the party is reconsidering its policy of refusing to take part in television or radio debates with Sinn Fein members.
The party discussed the issue recently and decided it would need to engage in broadcast debates with Sinn Fein to challenge republican views. It is understood Ulster Unionists were concerned at the level of relatively unchallenged nationalist opinion that emerged in media coverage of Northern Ireland during the last IRA cease-fire.
Mr Empey said the party had approved in principle a policy where members can take part in debates in order to ensure that "the tidal wave of Sinn Fein propaganda" did not go unchallenged.
He said: "We have approved in principle that Sinn Fein will not go unchallenged this time. But the format will be carefully examined before we agree to a debate. It will be a selected few programmes only and circumstances will have to be fully agreed."
Until now the party has agreed only twice to a member taking part in a broadcast debate with Sinn Fein. Mr Ken Maginnis MP took part in a live debate in the US with the Sinn Fein leader, Mr Gerry Adams, during the last cease-fire. Mr Maginnis also took part in a recent television debate on political issues in the North, sharing a studio with Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, of Sinn Fein.