The Northern Ireland secretary is this weekend meeting key players in the province in a bid to break the stalemate following the Stormont elections.

While Number 10 had hoped that the poll would deliver added momentum to the peace process, the anti-agreement Democratic Unionist Party emerged as the largest political force after it overtook David Trimble's Ulster Unionist Party.

The Rev Ian Paisley, the anti-agreement DUP leader, has refused to enter into a power sharing deal "at all costs" with Sinn Fein - which overtook the nationalist SDLP in Wednesday's election.

On Saturday Sinn Fein called for the immediate restoration of the power sharing assembly despite the impasse.

"We will use our mandate wisely. We won't wait until the DUP get themselves into better shape," said Gerry Adams.

"We're going to press the governments to move ahead, and we're going to meet the other parties."

The outcome means that hopes of a swift deal to resurrect the suspended Stormont assembly are now receding.

Paul Murphy, who appears set to stick with suspension as talks continue, said he hoped a breakthrough could be found.

"Northern Ireland can only be governed by an accommodation between nationalists and unionists, and that accommodation over the last five or six years has been hugely successful," said the Northern Ireland secretary.

"I am not underestimating the difficulties, but I am not unhopeful that we can make progress."

The DUP took 30 seats, with the Ulster Unionists coming second with 27.

Sinn Fein topped the nationalist billing, with 24 seats compared to just 18 for Mark Durkan's SDLP.

The DUP has already hailed the results as a "nail in the coffin" of the Good Friday Agreement.

"We are going to have a proper negotiation for a new agreement that will enable the democrats, and the democrats only, to buy into something that is stable," said the Rev Ian Paisley.

"Today there has been a nail hammered very hard into the coffin of the Belfast agreement," added Ian Paisley Junior.

Despite the rise in the DUP's vote, Adams said the result vindicated his party's stance.

David Trimble, who is facing resignation calls, said he hoped the elections could be rerun.

"There is still a majority of the population in favour of the agreement," he told the BBC on Saturday.

But signs that both sides of the sectarian divide are sliding to the extremes could push the prospect of a settlement even further from the government's grasp.

Under the rules the Stormont assembly has six weeks to name a first and deputy first minister before new elections are triggered.

Alternatively the UK government may re-suspend the assembly to buy more time for negotiations.

The election comes at a critical time in the peace process following rows over IRA decommissioning and a failure to reach agreement on so-called normalisation issues.

The DUP's strong performance, however, could put all negotiations on ice as the British and Irish government's search for an alternative route to a breakthrough in the stalled peace process.