The Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister are expected to meet in London later this week to discuss their approach to the last stages of negotiations leading to the June 30th deadline for Northern Ireland devolution.
Officials from both governments were due to discuss plans today. Senior sources said there was a strong possibility the two leaders would attend the funeral of Cardinal Hume in London on Friday morning, and a meeting could be held immediately before or afterwards.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, arrives in Belfast this morning for separate and "very private" meetings with the Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon of the SDLP, and Sinn Fein's chief negotiator, Mr Martin McGuinness.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell, will travel to Belfast later in the day to meet the leaders of the Progressive Unionist Party, the Alliance Party and the Women's Coalition. She may have meetings tomorrow with the Ulster Unionists and the Ulster Democratic Party.
Few participants in the peace process were willing to predict a breakthrough by the end of the month. The prospect of the dissident Ulster Unionist MP Mr Jeffrey Donaldson rejoining his party's negotiating team received a mixed reaction in nationalist circles.
Sinn Fein said the expected reinstatement of Mr Donaldson was "a worrying devlopment". Others said it would make a deal on decommissioning and the formation of an executive much easier to sell to Ulster Unionists but, by the same token, such a deal would be harder to negotiate.
Senior sources said there was no fixed approach to the negotiations on the part of the two governments. "Everyone is looking at every option, including what happens if nothing happens by the decommissioning deadline, May 2000."
Meanwhile, the Deputy First Minister, Mr Mallon, said in Craigavon, Co Armagh that he expected a report from Gen de Chastelain's decommissioning body next week or the week after. He "very much hoped" devolution would go ahead soon.
The focus of interest is likely to shift to Stormont's Castle Buildings on the first three days of next week. Hillsborough Castle is seen as being tainted by failure whereas the successful Good Friday talks were held at Castle Buildings.
Some indication of Mr Blair's thinking may be revealed tonight when he is due to take part in a discussion with six young people from different sides of the Northern Ireland political spectrum in an hour-long programme on UTV.
Both governments are focused to such an extent on meeting the deadline that at this stage neither Dublin nor London is considering alternatives if the negotiations fail. But there is considerable reluctance in Dublin to get involved in intensive and protracted talks unless there is a real prospect of a successful outcome.