The Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, has refused to say if the British government is considering suspending the North's Assembly and Executive and the other institutions set up under the Belfast Agreement.
The North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, is due to resign on July 1st if there is no substantial movement on decommissioning from the Provisional IRA. There is speculation that the British government may suspend the institutions before his resignation.
Dr Reid met the North's smaller pro-Agreement parties yesterday at Stormont. The Alliance Party and the Progressive Unionist Party, the UVF's political wing, had raised the issue of suspension, he said. "I said I was interested in implementing the Good Friday Agreement not suspending parts of it."
Dr Reid said he was neither "pessimistic nor optimistic" about the current political outlook. "If everyone meets their responsibilities under the Agreement, we can avoid the worstcase scenario. As the Prime Minister and Taoiseach have said, we all have our rights under this agreement.
"All the people of Northern Ireland have benefited enormously and we all have our responsibilities as well."
Speaking after meeting Dr Reid, PUP chief spokesman Mr David Ervine said he was pessimistic about the prospects for the process. He believed the Provisional IRA was "unlikely" to initiate enough movement on decommissioning to prevent Mr Trimble's resignation.
Alliance leader Mr Sean Neeson said he believed it was possible to resolve the outstanding issues even in the short time available. "None of the problems are particularly intractable. They can be resolved if the parties show the collective will to resolve them."
Dr Reid also held talks with the Ulster Democratic Party, the UDA's political wing, and the Woman's Coalition. He later took part in a cross-Border security meeting with the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue; RUC Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan; and Garda Commissioner Mr Pat Byrne.
The Northern Ireland Office said the meeting addressed the threat posed by dissident republican groups such as the "Real IRA".
Talks with pro-Agreement parties will continue in the coming days. President Bush's special adviser on Northern Ireland, Mr Richard Haass, is due to visit the North later this week.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein president Mr Gerry Adams has said the Belfast Agreement cannot be tailored to suit unionist demands. "I have been concerned for some time that this British government is not totally wedded to the Agreement in that it thinks it can be manicured to suit the demands of unionism," he said.
Mr Adams warned that the arms issue would probably not be resolved in time to prevent Mr Trimble's resignation.