SINN FÉIN and the SDLP continued their recriminations yesterday as the British and Irish governments and the main parties weighed up what could be done to end a political stand-off that has blocked the workings of the Northern Executive.
The DUP and Sinn Féin are expected to take stock over the weekend before resuming negotiations to try to find a resolution.
Sinn Féin, meanwhile, is continuing to block meetings of the Executive until First Minister Peter Robinson provides a "timeframe" for the devolution of policing and justice powers.
The Sinn Féin Minister for Agriculture Michelle Gildernew met her Southern counterparts Brendan Smith and Eamon Ó Cuív in Co Cavan yesterday. This was due to have been an official North-South Ministerial Council sectoral meeting, but it lost that status because there was no Executive to release papers for the meeting and no unionist Minister attended.
On Thursday, Mr Robinson said a British-Irish Council meeting scheduled for next weekend and a North-South Ministerial Council meeting due to be held early next month would be cancelled if the deadlock were not broken.
Sinn Féin continued to criticise SDLP Minister Margaret Ritchie for holding informal talks with DUP and Ulster Unionist Ministers at Stormont on Thursday in the absence of the Executive. Senior Sinn Féin MLA John O'Dowd linked her decision to SDLP leader Mark Durkan's suggestion that some time in the future the need for Ministers to designate as unionist or nationalist or "other" could be abandoned.
The picture of Ms Ritchie holding a press conference flanked by Mr Robinson and Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey outside Stormont Castle on Thursday was a "physical manifestation of Durkan's anti-powersharing blueprint", said Mr O'Dowd.
"He clearly has no interest in being a smaller party in a powersharing administration and is seeking an alternative. His view is very simple - if the SDLP are not going to be the lead nationalist party then no nationalist or republican should exercise power."
The SDLP countered that the meeting went ahead to see whether there was any mechanism that would allow Ms Ritchie to release £32 million (€41 million) in fuel poverty allowances, which are being held up because of the stand-off.
SDLP deputy leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell accused Sinn Féin of "betraying the interests of the broad nationalist and republican community in its very private war with the DUP, and now it is letting the most vulnerable people in the community down as well". He added: "This so-called all-Ireland party is blocking all-Ireland ministerial meetings far more effectively than unionists ever could."
