The Ulster Unionist leadership has warned that joint authority could be imposed on the North if the Provisional IRA's offer on weapons is not accepted by the party.
Mr David Trimble will attempt next Saturday to convince the UUP's ruling body, the Ulster Unionist Council, to return to government with Sinn Fein. The DUP yesterday accused him of being the "chief salesman" for the Provisional IRA and urged the UUC to reject the deal.
The DUP refused to say whether it would accept cabinet seats in a reactivated Executive. The party has been carrying out a review of what position it will adopt if devolution is restored to Stormont.
Senior UUP negotiator Sir Reg Empey accused the DUP of "gutlessness" in refusing to announce its decision. He said that by criticising the UUP leadership, the DUP was engaging in "old and tired tactics".
If the deal wasn't accepted by his party, joint authority by London and Dublin could be imposed, he warned.
Sir Reg said: "The real reason why the DUP have nothing of any substance to say and why their review is still under wraps is because they are once again running scared of making any decision in advance of the UUC.
"Many of them privately hope that the UUC supports what is before them because they need Stormont, the tea-rooms and the ministerial cars. Hypocrisy comes naturally to the DUP."
The Rev Ian Paisley said it was disgraceful that Mr Trimble was attempting to sell the IRA offer to his party. "The attempt to sell the Provo deal has turned David Trimble from the leader of the UUP into the chief salesman of the IRA.
"The deal which is repugnant to the vast majority of unionists has the blessing of Martin McGuinness and the godfathers of the IRA."
He said pro-agreement unionists were politically bankrupt. "They have dug the grave of unionism and are now inviting us to a respectable burial." Anti-agreement UUP MP Mr Willie Ross also said Mr Trimble should not be supporting the deal.
The UUP had a "no guns, no government" policy, not "stored guns, in government" policy.
"Accepting the terms of Sinn Fein/IRA, which is what we are doing, is really defeatist. We are being taken down a road which will eventually destroy all vestiges of British citizenship, British identity and will shove us to the point where in all but name we are part of an all-Ireland republic."
UUP Assembly member Mr Peter Weir said the IRA offer was "an empty shell".
He added: "There is no IRA destruction or delivery of a single weapon before entry into government, no promise of actual destruction of weapons, no explanation of what weapons put beyond use means, no timetable commitment by the IRA for decommissioning."
Mr Gerry Adams described the UUC's forthcoming vote as "another defining moment" in the peace process. The next week would determine whether the Belfast Agreement would live or die.
He urged all parties to be "very measured" over coming days but claimed the two governments had caused "huge concern" among nationalists by their response to unionist demands on policing and the flying of the Union flag.
He said anti-agreement unionists such as Mr Jeffrey Donaldson would never be satisfied by anything.
Alliance Party leader Mr Sean Neeson said all pro-agreement parties had a duty to help promote the peace deal. "The forthcoming week will be crucial to the future of the agreement. The prospects of failure will be severe."
Nearly three-quarters of UUP supporters believe their party should return to the Executive with Sinn Fein, according to a new opinion poll. One hundred per cent of Sinn Fein supporters, 98 per cent of SDLP supporters, 72 per cent of UUP supporters and 38 per cent of DUP supporters wanted to see the Executive restored.
A total of 74 per cent of people in North would like the DUP to take their seats in any new Executive. However, only a third of the party's supporters agreed with this position. Around 1,000 people were interviewed for the Queen's University/Rowntree Trust poll.