Democratic Unionist leader the Rev Ian Paisley is meeting Prime Minister Tony Blair for crisis talks about the resumption of power-sharing in Northern Ireland.
The North Antrim MP will meet Mr Blair on Friday afternoon as pressure mounts on his party to sign up to a devolved Government featuring Sinn Fein next Monday.
Mr Paisley's 120-member party executive will hold a crucial meeting in Belfast on Saturday to consider its move.
Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain is poised to make the restoration order for devolution at midnight on Saturday, forcing Assembly members to decide if they will nominate ministers to a new government at Stormont on Monday or not.
If the DUP balks at nominating ministers, the Assembly will close down and a multi-billion pound peace dividend package from Chancellor Gordon Brown and Irish Finance Minister Brian Cowen will be withdrawn.
There have been suggestions that if a full power-sharing executive is formed next Monday, the DUP will press for a bedding-in period of eight weeks to enable ministers to get used to their brief.
The DUP has argued in recent days that March 26 may be too soon for fully devolved Government and there have been suggestions from senior party figures that they may not be ready for such a move until May.
