The Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, appeared to be under continuing pressure last night, as the SDLP and Sinn Fein agreed to resume their talks with the British Prime Minister in Downing Street this morning. British sources insisted there was "pressure on all sides in this" and described Mr Tony Blair's talks with the SDLP and Sinn Fein - like his earlier separate meeting with Mr Trimble - as "businesslike". After more than four hours of talks, hard on the heels of Mr Blair's return from the Balkans, a spokesman said simply: "The clarification process continues."
However, the belief persisted in Whitehall that Mr Blair was pressing the parties to maintain forward movement in the peace pro cess by agreeing speedily to trigger the d'Hondt procedure for the nomination of ministers to the Northern Ireland executive.
The sense of urgency was fuelled by acute awareness that Mr Trimble is scheduled to leave Belfast on Sunday for a week-long trip to Canada and the United States - and the fact that the First Minister would need to be present in the Assembly if the procedure for ministerial nominations was to be activated. While indicating that a number of issues were under consideration, senior unionist sources last night maintained it was "unlikely" that a shadow administration for the North would be formed this week.
Mr Trimble will be in Belfast when Mr John Hume and Mr Ger ry Adams lead their party delegations back to Number 10 this morning. The Ulster Unionist leader flew home as planned last night after his one-hour meeting with Mr Blair in his room at the House of Commons - and having declined a subsequent request to join the other parties in "trilateral" talks inside Number 10.
Downing Street sources said Mr Blair would be in touch with Mr Trimble at Stormont, where he is expected to hold further party consultations on the continuing fallout from his Assembly party's rejection of the deal brokered during last Friday's marathon 10hour negotiation in London.
All sides remained tight-lipped after the latest round of talks, but before going into Number 10, Mr Adams said: "It is incumbent on the British and Irish governments and all the parties to stick to the letter and spirit of the position which was agreed last Friday. I have always worked on the proposition that if you give the unionists room to manoeuvre, they will manoeuvre."