The Ulster Unionist Party's ruling executive has described The Way Forward document drawn up by the two governments as "fundamentally unfair and unbalanced" and has demanded immediate decommissioning.
The 110-member committee met for two hours to discuss the governments' proposals and adjourned until Wednesday, the day before the deadline for nominating ministers to the executive.
No final decision was taken on the document. The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, said more clarification was necessary.
The party's executive passed a five-point resolution. It endorsed Mr Trimble's description of the proposals as unfair. It called for an inclusive administration but one based on "a commitment to democratic principles alone".
It demanded that Sinn Fein and the Provisional IRA and all paramilitary groups, loyalist and republican, declare that their violent campaigns were over, begin decommissioning immediately and complete by next May.
It urged the SDLP to "state clearly that if obligations on decommissioning are dishonoured it will stand with the democrats and not the terrorists". Finally, it pledged its support to the UUP negotiating team in "their continuing efforts to achieve democratic institutions of government in Northern Ireland".
Later Mr Trimble said he would be keeping in touch with London and the SDLP over the weekend to try and make political progress.
"We want to see brought into existence in Northern Ireland an inclusive administration on a sound democratic basis with the obligation of decommissioning being honoured. We will be working hard to try and achieve the objective we have set out," he said.
As he was entering the meeting the dissident UUP MP, Mr Willie Ross, said Mr Trimble must uphold party policy.
The UUP deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, said he had been proved right when he gave the document a 4 per cent chance of success.
Mr Trimble said he was keeping an open mind about developments, but more clarification was needed before the UUP could make up its mind. "There are still serious drawbacks. There is still an important decision to be taken, but we will approach that with care."
He said the British government still had not been able to give him a clear picture of the fail-safe legislation it plans to introduce on Monday.
The Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mowlam, yesterday urged all parties in the North to recognise the responsibility placed on them by ordinary people and redouble their efforts to deliver all aspects of the Belfast Agreement, writes Rachel Donnelly from London.
In particular the young people of Northern Ireland wanted the politicians to stop wasting time on "futile arguments and pedantic positioning" and tackle everyday issues head on.
Dr Mowlam was speaking at the Labour Party's Youth Conference in Scarborough, where she told the delegates that politicians in the North held the hopes and futures of all Northern Ireland's people in their hands.
"The agreement was an historic event. Now we have to bring it to life. I've no doubt that most people in Northern Ireland want it to work," she said.
Young people from both communities had sent a clear statement to the politicians during last week's talks at Stormont, urging them to push ahead with the full implementation of the agreement.
Quoting from that declaration, made by the Northern Ireland Youth Forum, Dr Mowlam said: "Too much time has been wasted on futile arguments and pedantic positioning. It is time to tackle the issues head on, real issues that affect everybody, every day.
"We do not want a return to the violent sectarian cauldron of the past. Nor do we want to live in a state of suspended animation where growth is impossible."
Dr Mowlam said it was up to all the parties in the North to make the agreement work.