Extra money will be made available if it is needed to make Northern Ireland's political parties agree to form a power-sharing executive, Northern Secretary Peter Hain said tonight.
Mr Hain met at Hillsborough Castle with the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern to plot the days ahead as the two governments seek to encourage the parties to form an administration following last week's Assembly elections.
Mr Hain said there was now a crucial countdown period to the March 26th deadline when an executive had to be established, or pull the plug on Stormont and impose direct rule.
"The St Andrews legislation leaves no discretion to me to do anything other than restore or dissolve the Assembly," Mr Hain said.
And he said there was not the slightest possibility of Parliament revisiting the legislation, he said as he repeated his oft-stated mantra that it was now or never.
Mr Ahern said, given that it was Cheltenham week, "we are coming to the final hurdle and as far as we are concerned; we want the parties to jump that hurdle on the 26th.
"We will be available between now and then to help them in whatever way we can."
But he too stressed: "It's the 26th — either that or bust."
Mr Hain met the Ulster Unionists, Sinn Fein and the Alliance parties today and will see the Democratic Unionists and the SDLP tomorrow.
On Thursday of next week, four days before the deadline, he will accompany the parties to a meeting with Chancellor Gordon Brown to try to thrash out a financial package which he hopes will be attractive enough to make them want to go into government together.
Speaking at Hillsborough, Mr Hain held out the prospect that money could be provided to prevent the introduction of water charges next month.
He said if he was still in control, the charges - which became a major issue during the election campaign - would be implemented.
But he said if the parties came to the Government with alternative proposals, "we would want to consider that very seriously".
"I want to encourage the successful start to devolution and an incoming executive, and clearly the electorate made clear their feelings on water charges to the parties — it was the biggest issue on the doorstep and the biggest issue at the polling stations."
Mr Ahern said the Irish Government was also was prepared to provide finance. "We are more than willing to contribute to a financial package on a North/South basis."
He said given that it was Irish taxpayers' money there would need to be some benefit in terms of infrastructure for those on the Southern side of the border.
Both ministers also hailed Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams' call for the public to co-operate with detectives investigating murders in the north and west of the city overnight as proof that republicans were living up to their promise to support policing.
Mr Ahern said Mr Adams had been "unequivocal" in support for the police.