Northern Ireland's new power sharing executive could have an eight week gap between its first and second meetings, it emerged tonight.
As pressure mounted on the Rev Ian Paisley to agree to power sharing with Sinn Féin by next Monday, talks sources hinted there could be an eight week bedding in period for power sharing ministers.
"The St Andrews legislation is very specific," a source said.
"The choice for the parties is to either nominate a full executive or face the closure of the Assembly.
"The DUP have been saying for some time it could be May at the earliest before they can share power but I think there's a realisation that nominations must take place next Monday.
"The question is whether you can create an arrangement which allows the parties to have devolved ministers but then give them time to bed into their new roles. Ultimately that would be a decision for the executive."
Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain was returning to Belfast tonight in preparation for the possible resumption of devolution next Monday.
Mr Hain will have to sign a restoration order by midnight on Saturday, recalling the Assembly to appoint a power sharing government.
All eyes will, therefore, be on Saturday's crucial DUP executive meeting which will decide if the party will go ahead with nominations to a devolved government on March 26.
Gerry Adams insisted today that devolved ministers must be allowed to fully exercise power from next Monday.
The Sinn Féin president stressed: "The choice is very clear. Either we allow the current very unsatisfactory arrangements to continue where British government ministers impose all types of punitive measures, or locally mandated politicians take up their positions and try to deal with all of these matters.
"In other words, that we govern and we govern from Monday when ministers are appointed.
"We have an unprecedented opportunity and a huge amount of preparation work has been done to get us to this point. We cannot allow the rejectionists or those that don't want progress to set the pace."
The Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern today also stressed the need for power sharing ministers to be nominated next Monday.
"The legislation is absolutely clear that what must happen on Monday is that ministers will be appointed and power will be devolved," he told RTE Radio.
"That's if the parties are willing."
He added: "It is then up to the executive to take forward how it does its business amongst the parties — not for Peter Hain, not for Dermot Ahern, not for the Irish or the British Government — but for the parties themselves.
"If they decide not to do that, then the whole situation goes back to Plan B."