Intensive negotiations will continue today between unionist politicians, the British government and the talks chairman, Senator George Mitchell, in an attempt to bring the Ulster Unionist Party and the fringe loyalists into the Stormont talks.
Both the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Burke, said last night they expected the unionists would come into the talks. Neither would say when they expected unionist entry but Dr Mowlam said last night, "we are quite close to getting there".
Mr Burke spoke of "some refining of wording", which is believed to refer to demands from the unionists about who will chair the committee on the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons. This issue, it is understood, remained unresolved last night and discussions are expected to continue today.
All the unionist parties boycotted the talks which opened at Stormont Castle in Belfast yesterday, but the UUP and the fringe loyalists remain eager to stay in the process, according to party sources yesterday.
Both the Secretary of State and Mr Burke said they were satisfied with Sinn Fein's replies to questions about its relationship to the IRA and its position on the IRA's statement of last week on the Mitchell Principles, which took up the early part of yesterday's plenary session of the talks.
Dr Mowlam said Mr Adams's answers were "full and comprehensive . . . the nature of the debate was acceptable to everybody".
The UUP leadership will meet again this morning at party headquarters in Glengall Street to discuss strategy. While it is still possible that the party might enter Stormont Castle in the afternoon, the likelihood of direct negotiations with Sinn Fein seems unlikely over coming days. "It's a very tricky business," said a source.
Emerging from Stormont last night, the Sinn Fein leader, Mr Adams, said his party was "prepared to allow some time, some space to bring the unionists into the process". He added that if unionists chose not to enter negotiations, "or to delay that", then there would be an onus on the two governments to move the situation on. "Both governments have given cast-iron guarantees that they will do so, and Sinn Fein will hold them to that commitment."
The UUP, the Progressive Unionist Party and the Ulster Democratic Party held separate meetings with Senator Mitchell last night.
Senator Mitchell described the meetings as "good and productive". He admitted that obstacles still existed regarding unionists entering the negotiations, but he refused to give details. "I am impressed that all the participants are acting in a constructive and responsible way and trying very hard to move this process forward."
The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, refused to comment after the meeting. However, a party member said that there was still disagreement over decommissioning, the talks agenda and procedural matters.
"The government is hoping that we can park the decommissioning issue and come back to it and we are hoping to explore ways of doing this," he said. "It's a very fluid situation."
The PUP leader, Mr David Ervine, held discussions with his party last night. He described his meeting with Senator Mitchell as "positive", but said it was too early to predict an outcome.
Maol Muire Tynan, Political Reporter, adds:
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has had a further telephone conversation with the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, as Government sources predict that the Ulster Unionist Party will be involved in the Northern peace talks within days.
The Taoiseach was also in contact with a range of parties in the North and, according to sources, "the feedback he is getting suggests there is a realistic possibility that the UUP will be into the talks within days".
As the talks opened with five of the 10 participants involved, sources in Government added that "progress will have to be seen to be achieved in order to maintain confidence".