THE INDEPENDENT Monitoring Commission (IMC) is to present to the British and Irish governments its findings on the status of the IRA's ruling army council on Monday.
Well-placed sources said publication of the politically sensitive findings is expected to follow on Wednesday.
The special report, commissioned from the paramilitary watchdog in mid-July, will detail the current standing of the army council which, according to the DUP, is "a threat" blocking political progress.
The IMC report, due to be much shorter than previous reports given the specific remit, will coincide with crucial talks between Sinn Féin and the DUP next week about the future of the Stormont institutions.
Relations between the leading unionist and nationalist parties deteriorated dramatically yesterday after a summer of difficulties on issues ranging from the devolution of policing and justice powers, to education, the Irish language and the development of the former Maze prison site.
The difficulties have stalled the Executive, which has not met since June.
Yesterday's row centred on an Executive paper on planning which was altered by Regional Development minister Conor Murphy to include references to Northern Ireland as "the North" and "the North of Ireland".
References were also made to Derry, although the official name of Londonderry was also included.
First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson said the alterations, understood to number about 150, of a paper passed by the Executive amounted to a breach of ministerial code serious enough to spark court proceedings.
In a strongly worded letter of rebuke to Mr Murphy, Mr Robinson said: "I have sought and received legal advice on this and consider you to be in clear breach of your ministerial duties . . . This is an extremely serious matter which goes right to the heart of the Executive decision-making process and indeed the credibility of the Executive itself.
"If we cannot trust colleagues to take forward a decision agreed by the Executive, then this is a very worrying and dangerous situation."
Mr Robinson called for an urgent meeting of the Executive and added: "It may be that the Executive can resolve the situation without recourse to the High Court."
Mr Murphy is due to return from holidays next week. In the meantime his party colleague John O'Dowd said: "The background to this letter is a query made by rejectionist MEP Jim Allister. The pattern seems to be Jim Allister raises an issue and it becomes a DUP priority. It is weak politics and no way to do business."
The leader of the Sinn Féin Stormont group said it was time for the First Minister to stop "engaging in petty politics and get down to the business of sorting out real issues".
"It would suit Mr Robinson better if he used his time engaging in the process of intensive dialogue he committed his party to in June . . . instead of wasting time playing petty, internal unionist politics."
Mr Allister, who quit the DUP over its decision to share power with Sinn Féin last year, said he had written to Mr Murphy's department and to each DUP minister on August 1st.
"I welcome the fact that action which I took concerning the politicising of the RDS [ Regional Development Strategy] Review by IRA/Sinn Féin Minister Mr Murphy has resulted in action by the First Minister," he said. "Now, it seems [ Mr] Murphy hoodwinked his colleagues and surreptitiously inserted his republican propaganda."
The Alliance party described the dispute as one of breathtaking pettiness which illustrated the fragility of the DUP-Sinn Féin led Executive.
"This instability . . . is reflected in the uncertainty in the business community and growing tensions on the street," said Assembly member for east Belfast Naomi Long. "The Executive has a responsibility to lead and the first step in that is to meet together collectively. Without a commitment to meet together and a commitment to resolve this impasse then it's hard to see how the public can have any confidence that this administration has their best interests at heart."