The British government remains committed to resolving the issue of paramilitary fugitives or "on the runs", Whitehall sources confirmed last night.
However, with the Conservative and Ulster Unionist leaderships leading a campaign of public opposition - with backing from significant sections of the British press - it seems possible detailed proposals to honour commitments made by the British and Irish governments during last July's Weston Park summit may not be in place, as originally expected, by the beginning of next month.
Moreover there are signs that the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, may be forced to seek to resolve the issue by way of proposals falling short of a general amnesty intended to "draw a line under 30 years of the Troubles" in Northern Ireland.
It is understood at least three options are the subject of discussion in London. One, believed favoured by Mr David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader and First Minister, could require certain categories of fugitives to stand trial first before benefiting retrospectively under the prisoner release programme established by the Belfast Agreement.
Earlier this year, Whitehall sources indicated that ministers might not agree to draw a line under the Troubles by way of an amnesty unless it would apply to members of the security forces as well as to republican and loyalist paramilitaries. They seemed inclined to accommodate unionist critics of the Bloody Sunday inquiry and the upcoming investigations into a number of controversial killings, including those of solicitors Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson.
It now seems clear that significant figures within the British defence establishment are again opposed to any measure which might imply or concede "equivalence" between the lawful authorities and paramilitaries.
That is also the position of the Conservative Northern Ireland spokesman, Mr Quentin Davies.