British government sources last night insisted the Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, has no plans for an imminent announcement on troop reductions as part of an emerging deal to secure IRA decommissioning.
At the same time, Mr Ken Maginnis, the Ulster Unionist Party's security spokesman, said he had "no collateral" for weekend reports that the IRA is prepared to have the bulk of its weapons sealed in underground bunkers in the Republic - and subsequently monitored by the International Commission - after an initial "symbolic" act of decommissioning in the presence of Gen John de Chastelain later this month.
A source close to Mr Mandelson also described the reports in the British press as "entirely speculative", adding that "the British government's view is that decommissioning is a matter for the paramilitaries and the international commission at this stage".
The source refused to comment on the possible legal implications of any scheme which would effectively have sovereign governments sanctioning the retention of arms dumps within their jurisdiction.
However, while again confirming that the Secretary of State has not set a specific date by which decommissioning must start or the powersharing executive would be suspended, the source said: "If the general says it [decommissioning] is not happening, then David Trimble will not be left alone."
Ulster Unionist sources confirmed that meant an effective deadline for the possible suspension of the Executive of February 12th - the latest date, apparently, for the reconvened meeting of the ruling Ulster Unionist Council.
The UUC meeting is still being planned for the previous Saturday, February 5th, although party sources say there could be a delay of one week, with the final decision to be taken shortly by the party president, Sir Josias Cunningham.
The First Minister, Mr Trimble, remains privately confident that the IRA will start to decommission before his party makes its final decision on continued participation in the Executive.
However, pressure is building on the Ulster Unionist leader, amid growing anxiety within his ranks that Mr Mandelson is preparing to give a full commitment to the Patten proposals on the future of the RUC by the end of this month.
There must also be a question mark over whether anti- agreement unionists would be satisfied with a scheme that would allow the bulk of IRA armaments to be placed in secured bunkers and subjected to routine inspection jointly by the IRA and the International Commission.
However, Mr Maginnis signalled this could be the basis of an acceptable formula. He said last night: "The whole point is to get the weapons out of the hands of the paramilitaries . . . It is an irrelevance in a sense what happens to them thereafter."
However, Mr Maginnis appeared pessimistic about the prospects for an early resolution of the arms issue, saying: "There's none of it for which I can find any collateral. I just don't see any collateral for all this speculation."
Meanwhile, as the focus turns back on the questions of illegal weapons, demilitarisation and policing, representatives of the Police Federation will be at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday to hand in a petition opposing the key reforms proposed by the Patten Commission.