Final efforts are being made to avoid the suspension of the fledgling Northern Ireland Assembly because of the deadlock over arms decommissioning.

Northern Ireland secretary Peter Mandelson has said an announcement on its fate is likely later on Friday.

However, Sinn Fein has appealed to him to keep the new institutions alive.

Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness said: "It must now be clear that Peter Mandelson has contributed enormously to this crisis.

"Even at this late hour he should reflect and he should pull back from the disastrous course on which he appears to be set."

Legislation enabling Mr Mandelson to suspend the power-sharing executive is likely to be implemented on Friday.

The Assembly has been in existence for only nine weeks.

A spokesman for Downing Street said "something fairly dramatic" would have to happen to avoid the suspension.

The crisis threatening the fragile peace process has been brought about by the lack of progress on arms decommissioning and in particular the absence of any handover of IRA weapons.

Mr Mandelson has said that he may publish the report from General de Chastelain's decommissioning body later on Friday.

He said there might also be a further report from General de Chastelain.

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said he would resign as Assembly First Minister if disarmament did not begin, collapsing the power-sharing institutions.

This is something the UK government is keen to avoid, turning to suspension as a preferred option.

Frantic efforts continued throughout Thursday to avoid suspension.

Committed

Mr Trimble met the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, in Dublin for a briefing on the Irish government's efforts to resolve the arms issue, which is deadlocking the process.

Speaking after the 45-minute meeting, both men said they would continue to work for the benefit of the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Trimble said people would be wrong to regard the situation as being a terminal crisis in the agreement. "It is not that," he said.

"We are both very clearly committed to seeing the full, final implementation of this agreement."

Mr Ahern pledged to continue to the last hour to achieve a breakthrough.

He said: "I am conscious of time but regardless, we must work on.

'Tragedy'

"And if we can find resolutions now, great. If not, we just have to keep at it. We will keep on working together."

In Washington, UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook did not rule out further intervention by the US government after a meeting with American National Security Adviser Sandy Berger.

Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon said it was a tragedy that, what was essentially a military issue, and not a political one, had been allowed to put the future of the assembly in jeopardy.

The 800-strong Ulster Unionist ruling council is to meet in Belfast on Saturday to debate progress on the decommissioning issue.