The British and Irish governments will consider a speech to be made by the Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, in Belfast today before deciding whether to "park" the peace process negotiations until the autumn.
The two governments have reiterated that even with continuing political stalemate the Assembly elections will proceed as planned on May 29th, despite the fact that this could prove damaging for the Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, and the pro-Belfast Agreement wing of unionism.
There was continuing low-level contact between British and Irish officials and republicans through the Easter weekend holiday, but still no sign of any end to the deadlock, according to spokesmen for Sinn Féin and the governments.
Mr Adams is to address a republican rally in Ardoyne this afternoon and, based on his comments, the governments will weigh up whether more intensified contact should run through to next week or whether they should now call a halt to the negotiations.
A Sinn Féin spokesman said talks should continue until next week. Dublin and London sources, however, indicated that without a quick significant shift from the IRA the Taoiseach and Mr Tony Blair might formally concede that the discussions should cease.
The two would then be expected to issue a formal joint statement deferring publication of their blueprint to restore devolution until September or October, again pending an IRA statement that it is "unambiguously" ending all paramilitary activity. The joint statement from Mr Ahern and Mr Blair could come as soon as tomorrow or Thursday, the sources added.
While Mr Ahern and Mr Blair, and their senior officials, will pay close attention to Mr Adams's speech today, they are not expecting anything substantial from the Sinn Féin president, according to the Dublin and London sources.
Easter weekend speeches from senior Sinn Féin figures including Mr Adams and the party's chief negotiator, Mr Martin McGuinness, repeated that the IRA statement of its future intentions issued on Sunday week was clear, unambiguous and unprecedented.
Sinn Féin speakers tended to blame Ulster Unionists for the deadlock rather than the IRA, saying they had not provided clarity that they would co-operate in the Executive with Sinn Féin. Mr Adams said unionists were seeking IRA "surrender".
The circular argument over the clarity of the IRA statement continued yesterday. Dublin and London sources repeated that it failed to make clear that the IRA was ending all activity, while a Sinn Féin spokesman repeated that the statement was "clear and unprecedented".
The governments, however, were insistent that the Assembly elections would take place as planned on May 29th. The deadline for triggering the elections is next Monday. Until that date behind-the-scenes Ulster Unionist pressure may fall on Mr Blair to again postpone the election.
Mr Trimble has warned that it would be dangerous for Northern Ireland to "sleepwalk" into an election where it would be unclear what voters were electing politicians to.
Meanwhile, speaking in Sligo yesterday, the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, called on paramilitaries to "turn away from the gun and the bomb and to commit themselves fully to the open and democratic system".
At the unveiling of a memorial to Countess Markievicz he said: "Today on this island, we stand poised on the brink of achieving that long-cherished final peace that we have all worked so hard for and supported through the decades of bloodshed, divisions and suffering."
"It is now time for those who can deliver that final peace . . . to follow the example of Countess Markievicz and to turn away from the gun and the bomb and commit themselves fully to the open and democratic system."
