The Ulster Unionists and the SDLP were at odds yesterday over plans for a meeting to discuss the establishment of institutions agreed under the terms of the Belfast Agreement.
Claim and counter-claim from the two parties appeared to reflect political differences over setting a timetable for the establishment of the "shadow" North-South Ministerial Council and the new Northern Executive.
The Government played down the issue and declined to make any public comment on whether it would agree to an inaugural meeting of the North-South Council in advance of the formation of the shadow Executive.
Ulster Unionist sources said a meeting had been arranged with the SDLP, to take place at Stormont's Parliament Buildings at 2.30 p.m. yesterday. The UUP had requested the meeting to discuss the formation of the North-South Ministerial Council, although the SDLP could have raised other issues.
However, UUP sources claimed the meeting was cancelled yesterday morning by the SDLP. "We are mildly peeved. We are trying to push ahead with this aspect of the agreement."
UUP sources said the "logic" of the report presented to the Assembly by Mr David Trimble and Mr Seamus Mallon on Monday was that the North-South and British-Irish Councils should be set up, irrespective of whether the shadow Executive had been formed. They attributed the cancellation of the meeting to "tensions" between senior members of the main nationalist party.
However, an SDLP spokesman rejected the Ulster Unionist version of events. He said the meeting had been requested by the UUP at short notice but several senior SDLP members were out of the country on the day in question. The SDLP informed the Ulster Unionists of this and expressed an interest in holding the meeting at the earliest possible alternative date.
"It's our understanding that such a meeting would discuss all aspects of the implementation of the agreement," the spokesman said. "We wish to see all aspects of the agreement implemented urgently.
"We believe that the North-South Council should meet at the earliest possible date and we also believe that the shadow Executive should be established at the earliest possible date.
"All we can do is express our disappointment at the fact that the UUP appear to have little more to do than try and make a story out of a meeting which we believe should take place in the best possible circumstances, with the maximum number present and as soon as possible."
A spokesman for the Deputy First Minister, the SDLP's Mr Seamus Mallon, said that he had no comment to make on the matter.
The Government also refused to be drawn on reports of tensions between it and the UUP over the North-South Ministerial Council. A spokesman said: "The policy of the Government is to implement all aspects of the Good Friday agreement. As on previous occasions when difficulties have arisen, we are working with all parties to find a way forward."
Privately, however, senior political sources in Dublin said the idea of holding an inaugural meeting of the North-South Council with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in advance of forming the shadow Executive was "not on" and no such meeting had been requested.
Mr Trimble told the Assembly on Monday that because of the timetable on cross-Border co-operation laid down in the agreement, and the fact that he and Mr Mallon were making an industrial promotion tour of north America, the inaugural meeting of the North-South Council would have to take place "towards the end of September or in the first few days of October".