As anxiety continues to mount over the future of the Northern Executive and the institutions of the Belfast Agreement, Gen. John de Chastelain has confirmed he will issue his crucial decommissioning report on Monday.
There was growing consensus last night that if he is unable to refer to progress on decommissioning IRA weapons, the future of the agreement will be thrown into crisis.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, last night warned that any unionist ultimatum on decommissioning was a "road to disaster".
Ahead of publication of the report, there were no indications of any IRA move on arms that would ensure that the Ulster Unionist Party would remain in government with Sinn Fein.
The RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, said on BBC last night: "I don't have any intelligence to suggest that it [decommissioning] is going to happen imminently, but that is not to say that it will not happen."
Mr David Trimble has already signalled that if there is no progress on arms by the time of the meeting of the UUP's ruling body, the Ulster Unionist Council, on February 12th, he will either seek the suspension of the various institutions flowing from the Good Friday accord or resign as First Minister.
Mr Trimble yesterday urged Sinn Fein to use its influence to bring about a start to IRA decommissioning. Mr Adams said neither he nor Mr McGuinness gave any private assurances to Mr Trimble that IRA disarmament would begin by Monday, January 31st, a date some UUP politicians have designated as the effective deadline for the start of decommissioning.
Mr Adams said he wanted to see all the difficult issues including disarmament resolved. "But I think the way they're being tackled at the moment is the road to disaster," he added.
Mr Trimble responded that it was time for a move on arms. "I think that he would be doing better to reflect, and reflect on what he should do rather than say, and I hope he will do that," he said.
A senior unionist source said that the UUP had no more room to manoeuvre on arms.
"Republicans keep on taking, and we keep on stretching ourselves, but we can't keep doing that," he said.
The coming days leading to Monday's publication of Gen. de Chastelain's report are expected to see considerable behind-the-scenes activity involving the main players and the British and Irish governments to determine if the difficulties can be overcome.
The SDLP Minister of Higher Education, Mr Sean Farren, referred to the growing political nervousness. "To remove current apprehension on this issue, Gen. de Chastelain must soon be able to report progress towards the declared goal of paramilitary arms being decommissioned by May of this year," he said. Taylor and Andrews trade words of praise: page 11
