Northern Ireland's biggest pro-British Protestant party met on Saturday to decide whether to work side-by-side with Catholics in governing the province, and it appeared to want an extension of a Monday deadline.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has told both sides they must start jointly running the British province's day-to-day affairs on Monday or accept indefinite direct rule from London. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leaders said the meeting had passed a resolution backed by more than 90 percent of delegates, but declined to disclose its contents.
"I think very clearly that the (British) prime minister (Tony Blair) will have to respond and I believe that he will respond," DUP leader Ian Paisley told reporters.
Another pro-British party, the Ulster Unionist Party, said it understood the DUP was looking to delay full power-sharing by about eight weeks to give them a "breathing space". Paisley's deputy, Peter Robinson, said: "We have as a result of that resolution further work to do and that's the reason why we are not releasing the document at this stage."