The British and Irish governments will give pro-agreement parties just days to respond to their joint proposals to break the political impasse in the North, which they will publish this morning.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, and the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, will be in Hillsborough Castle this morning to present the proposals. They are expected to advise the pro-agreement parties that they must provide a clear answer as to whether they will accept or reject them by "early next week", according to senior sources. Equally, they are hoping that the parties will use the period up until next week's deadline to calmly assess their package aimed at breaking the political deadlock.
The governments are understood to be especially fearful that expected proposals on issues such as policing and an amnesty for paramilitaries on the run could prompt the UUP to reject the document before there is any indication as to whether the IRA might make a substantial gesture on arms.
"If they rush to reject the package out of hand they will never know what the other side will do, they will let them off the hook," said one insider.
It is still unclear when or how the IRA will respond but the two governments believe that Sinn Fein's initial response today and its scheduled definitive response next week will be crucial to the prospects of real movement on IRA weapons.
"The logic is if Sinn Fein likes the document, that the IRA will feel similarly and take action. The governments hope that the Ulster Unionists will not immediately rubbish the proposals so that the republican response on arms can be at least tested," added the senior source.
There will be no preconditions in the document on arms, sources said. Rather the emphasis will be on the "interdependency" of the proposals. It will be clear from the package that there must be concurrent movement on arms, policing, demilitarisation and safeguarding the institutions of the agreement, they said.
However, if there is not overall agreement on the proposals the parties will not be allowed "pocket" elements of the deal particular to their demands.
The package is to be delivered by hand to the Yes parties at 10 a.m. and half an hour later will be released to the press. The DUP will also receive a hand-delivered copy this morning. Mr Cowen and Dr Reid will hold a press conference shortly afterwards.
Sources said the document would clearly spell out in summary form proposals to bring Mr Peter Mandelson's Police Act more in line with Patten. A more detailed implementation plan on policing will be published shortly, possibly by the weekend, they added.
The governments' initiative is taking place against a backdrop of continuing sectarian violence. Dr Reid, after meeting the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, to discuss the security situation yesterday, warned that he was keeping the UDA ceasefire under constant review. The UDA has been blamed for much of the current violence including the murder on Sunday night of Gavin Brett, notwithstanding an admission of the killing by the Red Hand Defenders.
The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, warned yesterday that irrespective of what the package contains it would not break the deadlock without substantive movement on IRA arms. "If there isn't satisfactory action on the ground, then no Ulster Unionist will offer himself for election as First Minister," he told the BBC.
The Sinn Fein Minister of Education, Mr Martin McGuinness, said his party would study whether the package measured up to what the Belfast Agreement promised.
