The Democratic Unionist Party will meet Mr Tony Blair in London this morning for their first talks with the Prime Minister in nearly a year.
It will provide the first indications as to the party's planned next step following last month's dramatic election in which they eclipsed the Ulster Unionist Party.
Tomorrow will see more meetings involving Mr Blair, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the other political parties in the North. The Ulster Unionists, Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance will all be involved. The Democratic Unionists refuse to discuss Northern Ireland matters with the Government and sought today's meeting on that basis. The party claims also that party leader the Rev Ian Paisley is unavailable tomorrow due to EU business.
The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, confirmed yesterday that his party will put forward proposals to the British government about the review of the Belfast Agreement scheduled for next month.
Sinn Féin called yesterday for the party to end what Mr Gerry Adams called its "dinosaur attitude" to engagement with republicans. Rejecting criticism for not revealing the party's ideas so far, Mr Robinson branded DUP critics in Sinn Féin and the UUP as negative and "rejectionist".
The DUP would not allow them to stand in the way of progress, he said.
"In the quiet period before the formal negotiations begin, some politicians have taken to prattling incoherently and questioning why, two weeks after the election, the DUP has not produced its alternative."
Branding the party's critics in Sinn Féin and the UUP as "political ostriches", Mr Robinson asked: "Why would the DUP publish its proposals before it uses them in the negotiating process?"
The party is drawing up a response to a recent letter signed jointly by the Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen.
That letter invited constructive proposals for a review from the parties to be submitted before the new year. Referring repeatedly to next month's review as "negotiations" Mr Robinson further asked: "Do these two parties not want the government's initiative to succeed? This does not bode well for the future."
He added: "These rejectionist parties can not be allowed to stop progress. They cannot stem the tide of change. They cannot say no for ever. The electorate has spoken - change is coming."
A DUP source told The Irish Times last night that the Downing Street meeting with Mr Blair would be "exploratory" and that the party would not produce details of the proposals it is preparing for next month's review.
"It is an agenda for change," a spokesman said. Asked if next month's review was tantamount to the renegotiation of the Belfast Agreement the DUP has demanded, the source said: "One man's negotiations is another man's review. "We're not getting hung up on that."
Mr Robinson stressed the unionist electorate had clearly given the party a mandate to seek change.
"The DUP will not allow negative forces to inhibit it from pressing for the change the unionist electorate have voted for," he said. "The parties that are stuck in the past and hold on to the corpse of the old failed Belfast Agreement need to come to terms with the indisputable reality that even in its own terms the Belfast Agreement does not have the cross-community support necessary to provide stability and gain wide acceptance within the community.
"The duty of politicians is to seek a fresh start and work for a new agreement capable of enduring and providing stability."
At Stormont, Sinn Féin met the Alliance Party as part of what it calls its effort to build a pro-agreement axis.
After the meeting, Mr Conor Murphy, the Newry and Armagh Assembly member, said: "Sinn Féin met with the SDLP two weeks ago and are now looking to build on that engagement by meeting all of the pro-agreement parties. Sinn Féin proposed the construction of a pro-agreement alliance to confront those who want to see the Good Friday agreement wrecked.
"It is vital that we continue to build the pro-agreement axis."