These could include internal technical meetings of partners and directors.

The debt-laden group, Britain's third biggest hotel chain, said the situation was being discussed at a series of internal meetings.

But about five million flights from Heathrow last year were to internal meetings with people in the same organisation.

The government said late Monday that it had agreed to furnish a helicopter to take the rebel leaders to their internal meeting.

"Beyond that I don't want to get into any specifics of internal meetings," she added.

"Who knows," Hershiser said yesterday before joining 26 other players and union leaders for internal meetings.

"You can sense this at internal meetings, where the atmosphere has changed and people are expressing criticisms more freely."

I had breakfast today with a senior executive who estimates she spends more than 30% of her time in internal meetings.

Now, it's all internal meetings with a consequent lack of outside contact.

He said the union would hold internal meetings this weekend, then be prepared to resume negotiations on Monday.