The Ulster Unionist Party will not meet today's British government deadline to respond to the police implementation plan, according to senior party sources. They said that a decision might not be made for a fortnight.
The deadline was set by the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, when he published the plan last week. The UUP decision is likely to be taken by a meeting of its 120-strong executive or its 850-strong ruling body, the Ulster Unionist Council.
The next executive meeting is not due to be held until September 1st and senior party figures said it was unlikely that it would be brought forward. The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, is currently on holiday in Austria.
Anti-agreement UUP MP Mr David Burnside described today's deadline for the parties to nominate to the new Police Board as "absolutely meaningless".
He also believed the implementation plan was unacceptable to unionists.
Sources said the UUP might eventually decide to nominate to the board while withholding its general verdict on the police plan.
The three UUP members likely to be nominated are Lord Kilclooney, formerly Mr John Taylor, and Assembly members Mr Fred Cobain and Mr Alan McFar land.
Anti-agreement UUP MP Mr Jeffrey Donaldson said he believed his party should not approve the police implementation plan. "In the context of increased crime and a significant terrorist threat, it is unworkable," he said.
"The RUC cannot do without its full-time reserve and it also needs the full potential of the Special Branch to counter the growing capability of republican terrorist groups."
Mr Donaldson also voiced opposition to the proposal to permit former convicted paramilit aries to sit on police boards. Anti-agreement Assembly mem ber Mr Peter Weir has also objected to the plan.
However, pro-agreement MP Lady Sylvia Hermon welcomed its publication last week. While expressing reservations about reducing RUC numbers and some other matters, she said the plan brought an end to "unnecessary and mischievous" speculation.
Meanwhile, UUP Arts Minister Mr Michael McGimpsey has described the SDLP announcement of support for the new police service as "truly historic" in the context of nationalist history. "This is a major concession by the SDLP. It is particularly significant when combined with the declaration of support by the Catholic Church for the police.
"The protestations and attacks by Sinn Fein on the SDLP are totally irrational. It should now be clear that Sinn Fein is isolated on policing, isolated on decommissioning and isolated on Colombia. Sinn Fein is out of touch."