Mr David Trimble travels to France today to attend commemorations for the Battle of the Somme and will return to Belfast tomorrow no longer the North's First Minister, as his resignation will have been activated.
The post-dated letter of resignation from the UUP leader, in protest at the absence of IRA decommissioning in the implementation of the Belfast Agreement, will be opened tomorrow by the Assembly Speaker, Lord Alderdice, who will formally inform the chamber on Monday.
UUP sources suggest Mr Trimble will name a party designate to exercise his functions "in his own time"; however, this is expected to occur next week.
The naming of a designate will enable Executive meetings and North/South ministerial meetings to continue, and the North's Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon, will be able to stay in his post for six weeks prior to the necessary joint reelection to both posts.
Mr Trimble, accompanied by his wife Daphne, will attend two commemorations tomorrow in Thiepval, western France. The Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, will also attend. He will lay a wreath at the Ulster Tower during an afternoon ceremony for victims of the first World War battle.
There was no sign yesterday of the imminent report from Gen John de Chastelain's decommissioning body. During bilateral talks with the governments at Hillsborough Castle on Thursday, also attended by Gen de Chastelain, Mr Trimble demanded speedy publication of the report.
He forecast it would fail to outline any significant moves by the IRA to dismantle its arsenal. However, the report is expected to outline continuing dialogue between the IRA interlocutor and the commission.
Today sees the expiry of the extended decommissioning deadline set by the two governments during negotiations at Hillsborough last May, which also aimed to tackle the outstanding issue of arms, demilitarisation, policing and stability of the institutions.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein minister, Ms Bairbre de Brun, was yesterday critical of Dr Reid for not using his powers to overturn Mr Trimble's continuing ban on the party's two ministers attending North/South Ministerial Council meetings. She was unable to attend a planned sectoral meeting for health and food safety in Belfast yesterday.
"Mr Reid should be using his powers to defend the institutions rather than acquiesce in the obstructionist tactics of Mr Trimble."
However, the third meeting of the NSMC in the tourism sectoral format was held in Coleraine, Co Derry, yesterday and attended by the Minister for Tourism, Dr Jim McDaid, the North's Minister of Enterprise, Sir Reg Empey and the North's Minister of Higher and Further Education, Mr Sean Farren.
The ministers were given a detailed account of the development of Tourism Ireland Ltd, a company set up under the Belfast Agreement and aimed at promoting increased tourism to the island of Ireland.
TAKE Ireland.Com LOGO here
Follow the events surrounding First Minister David Trimble's expected resignation this weekend on The Irish Times website: www.ireland.com The full text of the RUC Chief Constable's annual report is available on The Irish Times website at www.ireland.com