The first signs of possible governmental slippage on the North's devolution timetable have emerged amid clear warnings that the DUP would not accept the designation of First and Deputy First Ministers by the November 24th deadline.
DUP leaders are today due to brief their Assembly members, officers and executive before party leader Rev Ian Paisley issues what is expected to be qualified approval of the St Andrews Agreement.
Sinn Féin has already this week issued a conditional "yes" to the document and the DUP is likely to do the same tomorrow, which is the British and Irish governments' deadline for the Northern parties' response to the deal.
Nonetheless, there is growing concern that there could be slippage to the timetable for the sequenced implementation of the agreement, which is due to result in a return to full devolution by March 26th next year.
One senior DUP source yesterday queried how the November 24th date for the appointment of DUP leader Dr Paisley and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness as First Minister and Deputy First Minister-designate could now be met.
"Sinn Féin hasn't signed up to policing, it hasn't even called an ardfheis on policing, and it appears unable to sign a pledge to support the police and law and order so that Martin McGuinness can become Deputy First Minister designate. These are bottom line issues for us. So how therefore can November 24th be met?" the source said.
In London yesterday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern confirmed that the nomination of Dr Paisley and Mr McGuinness as putative joint leaders of a new power-sharing Executive at Stormont was a large and symbolically important part of the St Andrews Agreement.
However, when pressed, Mr Ahern declined to say that the British/Irish alternative "Plan B" would be put into immediate effect should the parties fail to designate First and Deputy First Ministers by the appointed date. At the same time, Whitehall sources confirmed "the implication" of the St Andrews Agreement was that the result of non-designation would be "dissolution" of the Stormont Assembly and insisted November 24th "is a step that needs to be gone through" - before adding that it was "too soon to know" what would happen if it was not.
Asked if the St Andrews Agreement "absolutely" required designation of First and Deputy First Ministers by November 24th, Mr Ahern said: "We've indicated that that would be the case and it's the expectation that that will happen." Pressed as to what would happen if the November 24th deadline was not met, Mr Ahern replied: "We'll obviously have to cross that bridge when we come to it . . . The two governments have said that if we fall at any hurdle between now and March 26th [the date for an Executive "going live"] then we go back to Plan B, which is still there and still being worked on."
Mr Ahern said the governments were "taking every day as it comes". They would not be "walking away from it easily and I would like to think that neither would the parties, and I don't think they will."
However, DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson has said his party's willingness to make the "symbolic" move toward power-sharing by prior nomination of First and Deputy First Ministers was conditional upon Sinn Féin's readiness to endorse the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The British government had described these as the "twin pillars" of the process, said Mr Robinson, adding: "Well this (DUP) pillar will not be moving on its own."
Ian Paisley jnr echoed this last night, confirming there would be "no designation" in any form on November 24th "without Sinn Féin delivery on policing".
Dr Paisley yesterday reiterated he would not compromise on the policing issue."The Sinn Féin position on policing is now being seen as a complete nonsense and they will have no choice but to support the PSNI and the rule of law if they expect any movement whatsoever. There will be no compromise on this most fundamental of requirements."