As the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, ponders whether to accept or reject the Anglo-Irish decommissioning document, he came under pressure from the loyalist parties and senior Protestant churchmen to accept the proposals and engage with Sinn Fein.
The two loyalist parties accused the DUP and the UK Unionist parties of "running away" from serious politics. The unionist parties should remain in the talks and challenge the republican argument, they said.
Senior Protestant churchmen also called on the three unionist parties to enter into "serious and urgent talks" with all parties, including Sinn Fein.
The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) and the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) called on all parties to engage with the peace process, notwithstanding Sinn Fein's participation in talks in September. They said they should not abdicate their responsibility at a time of "Northern Ireland's greatest need".
The PUP and UDP made their appeal to the unionist parties at Castle Buildings in Stormont yesterday shortly after the DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, emerged from his London talks with Mr Tony Blair and said the talks were "dead in the water".
Mr David Ervine, PUP chief spokesman, accused the DUP and the UK Unionists, who have also rejected the decommissioning paper, of running away from talks. "At a time of Northern Ireland's greatest need and these people run away - I think it is a shame." Mr Ervine said all unionists should have the courage to confront Sinn Fein and tackle and undermine their arguments through hard debate. "Any unionist worth his salt should be in the debating chamber fighting for what he believes in," he said.
Mr David Adams of the UDP accused the DUP and the UK Unionist Party of "abdicating" their responsibility to represent the unionist people.
"The DUP and the UK Unionist Party have spent the past year attacking our party, the PUP and the Ulster Unionist Party on a daily basis. Now that the real political enemies of unionism are sitting at the table they are afraid to attack them. It is a clear abdication of their responsibility."
Mr Gerry Kelly, one of Sinn Fein's talks negotiators who, with middle-ranking party colleagues, was again at the party's new offices in Castle Buildings yesterday, said he wanted all parties at the talks. He believed Dr Paisley was out of line with his own community.
"If there is anything that you can point to across the communities which shows any sort of unity of consensus it is that people want their elected representatives to talk," Mr Kelly said.
The three mainstream unionist parties boycotted yesterday's plenary session of the talks but all are expected at Stormont today for the vote on the British/Irish decommissioning paper. The talks were adjourned until 2 p.m. today after only 15 minutes of discussion.
As all the other political parties to the talks - the SDLP, Alliance, PUP, UDP, Women's Coalition and the Northern Labour grouping - are expected to sign up to the paper, there was little to discuss yesterday.
Today's voting, if it goes ahead, may take a number of hours to conclude as the three unionist parties have submitted over 40 amendments and proposals to the British/Irish paper. Each amendment and proposal - which are designed to either incorporate a demand in the paper for prior decommissioning or parallel decommissioning - must be taken separately, which could delay proceedings.
While there were reports that voting on the paper may be put back in deference to UUP sensitivities, the SDLP and Alliance Party were last night insisting that the vote should be taken. Ms Brid Rodgers of the SDLP talks team said a postponement of the vote could send the wrong signals about the British government's commitment to the process.
Mr Sean Neeson, Alliance Chief Whip, said even if the three unionist parties voted against the paper it did not mean the end of the process. He called on the unionist parties to "show statesmanship and represent the unionist cause in a constructive and meaningful way". The unionists should have confidence in their own position and stay in the talks and debate with Sinn Fein, Mr Neeson added.
Meanwhile, the president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, Dr Norman Taggart, said unionists should engage in face-to-face encounters if Sinn Fein is to be challenged. He agreed with the view of the pro-Union Belfast-based News Letter that unionist should challenge the republican argument. "Sinn Fein politicians ought to be confronted by unionist politicians and all others who take a contrary position."
"I think we are at an important stage in our affairs. It's a time of potential and opportunity and should not be wasted," he told BBC Radio Ulster. "The thing that has struck me is the way young people throughout the province have been saying that our lives, our jobs, our very futures are at stake. I think unionist politicians, and all politicians, ought to be in the existing discussions to see if they can be carried forward," he added.
The former Presbyterian Moderator, Dr John Dunlop, also urged the unionist parties to remain in the talks, and deal with all the issues "positively and constructively". He said decommissioning was not primarily a security problem but more a problem of the building of trust. He said the IRA and loyalists could hand over half their arms one day and obtain a similar amount of arms the following day.
A mutually acceptable accommodation could not be achieved unless there was engagement with other elected representatives. His message to all parties was: "Keep talking and hang in there." The Belfast County Grand Lodge of the Orange Order, however, urged all unionists to withdraw from the talks. Mr Robert Saulters, the Grand Master of the Order, following a meeting on Monday night, said unionists should pull out of what he called a "phoney peace process".
"The talks appear to be geared to a united Ireland. Certainly, within the Orange family we want to remain British," he said yesterday.
