The Ulster Unionist Party deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, has predicted that if Mr David Trimble does endorse the Hillsborough proposals he will carry the day at the expected Ulster Unionist Council meeting on Saturday week.
As the debate within the party begins in earnest over whether to accept the Hillsborough deal, Mr Taylor yesterday predicted it would be strongly carried by the 860-member council, the governing body of the UUP.
"There are still some hiccups, but I think they will be overcome," he told BBC Radio Ulster. "It will go to the Ulster Unionist Council meeting and if this goes the way I personally foresee it going, I believe it would be approved strongly by the council," Mr Taylor added.
Sir Reg Empey, the former UUP economy minister and proagreement MLA, however, said that it was not a foregone conclusion that Mr Trimble and the party would endorse the Hillsborough proposals.
The UUP needed clarification over what the IRA meant by `verifiably putting its arms beyond use', he said. The party needed to know that outside of the periods of inspection the IRA could not use these weapons.
"These dumps have to be secure. That must mean that weapons can't be removed and used between inspections," said Sir Reg.
He also indicated that the UUP wanted strong assurances that the Union flag would continue to fly over British government buildings in Northern Ireland on designated days and that the Patten proposals on police reform would be modified.
Notwithstanding these concerns he added that the IRA statement of Saturday had the potential to end the political stalemate and restore the institutions of the Belfast Agreement by Monday week.
"There is a qualitative difference to the IRA statement compared to previous statements from that organisation and I would not want to be at all niggardly about it in my response," he added.
A Sinn Fein spokesman warned, however, that republicans would not tolerate any weakening of the Patten proposals. They would not wear any retention of the RUC name or any crests or badges that involved British imperial symbolism.
The Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, speaking in Belfast yesterday morning said that while he was aware of the unionist sensitivities over the Patten reforms, he had no intention of maintaining the RUC name in or alongside the title of the new force, the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
