Senator George Mitchell arrives back in Belfast today with his proposals to break the political deadlock in the North over decommissioning and the establishment of the executive.
The Ulster Unionists, Sinn Fein and the SDLP will hold a trilateral meeting this morning. They will later be joined by Alliance and the Women's Coalition.
In the afternoon Senator Mitchell will meet the parties. He is expected to offer his suggestions for ending the stalemate. Sources in all parties said they had no idea what these would be.
The SDLP, like Sinn Fein, is understood not to be keen on a compromise which would involve the setting up of a shadow executive with full powers transferred in the event of Provisional IRA decommissioning.
A talks source said: "The SDLP isn't ruling this out but they would prefer for the whole business of the executive and decommissioning to be sorted out for once and for all now, not postponed to a later date."
The UUP and Sinn Fein held talks at Stormont yesterday. The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, said they were not as close to a breakthrough as he would like.
"I wish we were [closer] and we could be. It's been a long time that we have all been waiting for people to make up their minds. This process is about bringing into existence new opportunities, but that requires some changes and, of course, it will produce further changes.
"But the biggest change of all is to move from a situation dominated by violence to a situation where violence is obsolete. That is the change that needs to be clearly delivered and, consequently, there is a unique responsibility on paramilitary organisations and those that speak for them to show to the people of Northern Ireland that that change has been delivered."
A UUP Assembly member, Dr Esmond Birnie, last night said his party wanted the Belfast Agreement to work. "We have taken far more risks than any other party. Does Gerry Adams believe we hate nationalists so much that we would willingly deprive ourselves of accountable devolved government?
"Does he believe that David Trimble risked splitting his own party and facing electoral destruction by the DUP just for the sheer fun of it? If Mr Adams would spend less time swanning around the world in search of prizes and photo-opportunities he might have begun to realise that it is he, rather than the UUP, who has made implementation such a torturous process."
A Sinn Fein negotiator, Mr Gerry Kelly, said there was a "small hope" that agreement could be reached. However, he added: "We have the commitment and the will to make that into a larger hope."
An SDLP Assembly member, Mr Eddie McGrady, was "mildly optimistic". He said: "Progress is being made in the sense that the environment in which the discussions are taking place is facilitating the dialogue. A lot of spade work is being done."
An SDLP negotiator, Mr Mark Durkan, said "hard work and good will" were required from the politicians to move the process from "a circle of frustration to one of enablement".
The Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, said people in the North would not forgive the parties if there was not progress. "Local politicians must resolve their differences themselves, and this week is their chance to do it. The public expect their politicians to deliver what they voted for, a real chance for local people to take charge of local affairs."
However, a DUP Assembly member, Mr Ian Paisley jnr, said the Provisional IRA and Sinn Fein had done nothing to earn the trust and respect of unionists.
"The fact is nothing has changed," he said. "The IRA remain armed to the teeth. They continue to procure arms, beat people and threaten to return to violence. The UUP have once again compromised their pledges to the unionist people. They are slitting democracy's throat by their antics."