Mr Gerry Adams is due to announce shortly if Sinn Fein will legally challenge Mr David Trimble's ban on its two ministers attending North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC) meetings.
Mr Adams held discussions with senior British and Irish government officials yesterday to determine if the deadlock over Mr Trimble's veto on Ministers Mr Martin McGuinness and Ms Bairbre de Brun attending NSMC meetings can be ended.
Mr Trimble has said the NSMC ban will be lifted when the IRA re-engages with Gen John de Chastelain's decommissioning body. It is understood, however, that Sinn Fein is insisting such a reengagement is mainly contingent on the British government ensuring the implementation of the Patten proposals on police reform, substantial demilitarisation, and an amnesty for IRA members "on the run".
While the Northern Secretary Mr Mandelson yesterday said that all aspects of Patten were "being put in place", Sinn Fein and the SDLP contend that the Police Bill being finalised in Westminster falls substantially short of the Patten proposals.
Mr Adams's contact with British and Irish officials yesterday follows a series of meetings with the Taoiseach Mr Ahern, British Prime Minister Mr Blair, Mr Mandelson, and First and Deputy First Ministers Mr David Trimble and Mr Seamus Mallon.
A decision on legal action is imminent, according to a senior party source last night. "Gerry Adams will make his decision sooner rather than later over whether the British government is going to deal with this issue politically or whether the party needs to go to court."
Earlier in the Assembly, Mr Adams called on Mr Trimble to withdraw his veto, accusing him of an "exit strategy" to force another suspension of the Executive.
"You cannot have an Executive, you cannot have an Assembly putting together the type of programme for government if the First Minister has already commenced an exit strategy and, in his own words, where he differs only from his party political opponents on a matter of tactics."
Mr Trimble did not respond to Mr Adams's comments but UUP Arts Minister Mr Michael McGimpsey later accused Mr Adams and other leading Sinn Fein politicians of "engaging in cheap republican rants rather than addressing the real issue".
