THE DEVIL is in the detail. No other phrase has been worked so hard since the peace process began. The deliberations at Stormont yesterday might seem at a distance to be irrational wrangling for wrangling's sake, but there was, in fact, a great deal at stake.
A battle was being fought for the soul of unionism. Last week, David Trimble broke with his fellow unionists Ian Paisley and Robert McCartney to accept the chairmanship of George Mitchell. He justified his decision on the basis that Mr Mitchell's powers would be determined by the participants in the talks.
Even his opponents have paid tribute to George Mitchell's skill and courtesy. Confronted by a variety of submissions from different parties, he set them out in tabular form, side by side in the same document. This provided a clearer focus on the areas of disagreement. His next move was to narrow down these differences by preparing a "composite paper" based on the various proposals.
The main focus of the Ulster Unionist Party has been to try to make the chairman subject to the Business Committee, which has a co-ordinating role in the talks and is chaired by Mr Mitchell's colleague from the International Body on Decommissioning, Gen John de Chastelain, who will also chair Strand Two of the talks, on North South relations.
A copy of the composite paper has been seen by The Irish Times. Some parts of the text appear in shaded type, to indicate that they have not been agreed. These include a proposal to oblige the chairman to consult the Business Committee on a wide range of matters.
One imagines Mr Mitchell would be happy to consult Gen de Chastelain at any time. This, allied with the fact that the number of shaded areas in the text was quite small, indicated that agreement on the thorny issue of procedures was well within sight.
But a serious complication developed when the issue was raised of the relationship between the procedures being worked out yesterday and the Ground Rules for the talks, agreed by the Irish and British governments.
Throughout the week, the UUP had been crowing quietly about the fact that Dr Paisley's party and Mr McCartney's Ulster Unionist Party were continuing to attend the talks despite the presence of Mr Mitchell.
But hostilities broke out again yesterday. Responding to a point of order raised by the DUP deputy leader, Peter Robinson, the North's Political Development Minister, Michael Ancram, is reported to have said that this point was covered in the Ground Rules document and to have suggested that the new procedures should work in parallel with the Ground Rules.
It was battle by media through out the afternoon. The DUP leader's son, Ian Paisley Junior emerged to denounce the UUP for acting against the best interests of the Union. His views were reinforced later by Mr McCartney.
It must have been frustrating for the Ministers who travelled from Dublin Dick Spring Proinsias De Rossa, Nora Owen, Mervyn Taylor, and their junior colleague Hugh Coveney but then, nobody ever said this was going to be easy.