Despite suggestions from some unionist sources that the Mitchell review might have "a soft landing" as early as today, others in the process last night insisted a "hard negotiation" between the Ulster Unionist and Sinn Fein leaderships was still in play.
However, there is as yet no indication that Sinn Fein is able to give a firm commitment on behalf of the IRA in respect of any decommissioning ahead of the creation of the power-sharing executive.
On the contrary, some observers still believe Sinn Fein would only be prepared to seek movement from the IRA when confident of a positive response in the context of the successful establishment of all the institutions set out in the Belfast Agreement.
And there seems little likelihood that Mr David Trimble would be prepared to establish the executive on the basis of a firm Sinn Fein expectation that its influence could be successfully deployed to secure eventual decommissioning within that context. The UUP leader rejected a similar proposition last July.
The general belief is that the UUP would move into the executive first, given a clear commitment by the republican movement to a decommissioning process and ahead of actual delivery. But one close ally of the UUP leader said "product" in his view would have to follow within "a matter of days rather than weeks".
Even if agreement on a "voluntary" decommissioning event was possible, as a signal of good intent, there is considerable doubt as to whether the republican movement would be prepared to deliver unless it was certain that Mr Trimble could bring his party with him.
Speculation continued that Mr Trimble would seek to pre-empt his dissidents by calling a special meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council, given a successful conclusion to the Mitchell review.