The Northern Ireland Parades Commission is expected to announce this morning whether any decision has been reached about the Drumcree parade and, if so, what it is.
Late last night the Commission met separately with the Orange Order and the Garvaghy Road residents after the Stormont proximity talks and said it would meet this morning at 8.30 and make an announcement at 10. The Stormont talks were adjourned shortly after 10 o'clock last night. There was disagreement among participants as to whether they will resume this morning.
The talks were chaired by the North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, with assistance from the British Prime Minister's chief-of-staff, Mr Jonathan Powell. Leaving Stormont last night, Mr Trimble said the issue was too important and at too delicate a stage for him to speculate about the outcome. He said the talks would resume this morning.
But Mr Brendan MacCionnaith of the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition, said the talks had failed. He added that the residents wanted the Parades Commission to issue its recommendations today, as originally scheduled. There was no comment from Orange Order representatives.
The Portadown Orange delegation, which included the Co Armagh Grand Master, Mr Denis Watson, and the Garvaghy residents were in separate rooms at Stormont Buildings with Mr Trimble going between the two sides.
The Parades Commission had indicated earlier that it would postpone an announcement were it to become apparent that there was a fresh "dynamic" that could solve the dispute.
Meanwhile, the Church of Ireland has written to the rector of Drumcree Church, the Rev John Pickering, requesting him to withdraw the invitation to Portadown Orangemen to attend next Sunday's service at his church. The Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, made the request after Portadown Orangemen indicated that they could not provide a commitment that they would accept the ruling of the Parades Commission. Mr Pickering said yesterday he would not detail what his response would be to the letter until today.