Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionist Party are continuing to lobby for last-minute changes to the British-Irish package aimed at breaking the political stalemate ahead of tomorrow's expected meeting between the Taoiseach and British Prime Minister.
Late last night doubt was cast on whether Mr Ahern and Mr Blair will be in a position to release the document tomorrow. They are to meet tomorrow morning in Mr Blair's Sedgefield constituency but last night British and Irish officials were still working on the package.
Sedgefield was chosen because Mr Blair wants to spend some time in his constituency before flying out for South America on Sunday, it was explained.
The parties were expecting copies of the document this evening or tomorrow but last night London and Dublin sources said all the work was not yet completed. "We are not there yet," a senior source said.
While the Taoiseach earlier this week confirmed that all the substantive work was concluded, British and Irish officials were last night tying up "loose ends". A senior source said it was undecided how, when or in what format Mr Ahern and Mr Blair would release the document but the situation would be clarified today.
The two governments have been under intense pressure from both Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionist Party to make "eleventh hour" alterations to their proposals. But sources said this was not causing the delay in publication, "if there is a delay".
"This is so delicate that we want to get it right. If there is a delay it will only be a matter of days, rather than a major hold-up," one source said.
The republican and unionist pressure, however, may have a bearing on the potential hold-up. A senior Sinn Fein figure warned yesterday that the package would not be acceptable to republicans if it did not contain detail on how the Police Act would be amended to bring it in line with the Patten recommendations for police reform.
"The reason why there has to be legislative change is that we do not trust the word of the British government," he added, when releasing a document outlining several elements of the Act that republicans want amended.
Ulster Unionists have warned the governments that reported changes to policing and other expected elements of the package, such as an amnesty for republican and loyalist paramilitaries on the run, cannot be tolerated by the broad unionist constituency.
They equally insisted there was no chance of a breakthrough if the IRA did not make a substantial gesture on weapons. "It's a very simple exercise really," said acting UUP First Minister, Sir Reg Empey, yesterday. "Either we are going to have actual movement on disarmament of paramilitary organisations or we are not. If it does not contain that, then it does not really matter to unionists what the rest of it contains."
Further detail on what the package may contain emerged yesterday. The BBC reported that the British union flag would not fly over police stations and that the symbols of the Police Service of Northern Ireland would be neutral.
Sources also confirmed a Press Association report that the document would include provision for a review of the operations of the Parades Commission.
