Sinn Fein has signalled its unease at the British and Irish governments' set of proposals to advance the peace process. Senior Sinn Fein sources said yesterday that there was "grave disquiet among many republicans about the document and the current situation".
The sources also said that in the days leading up to Monday's publication of the document, the party president, Mr Gerry Adams, had urged the two governments not to succumb to unionist and loyalist pressure.
"We left them in no doubt at all about our opposition to the document and that publication of it would be a mistake. We were not consulted about the document. Nor were we given sight of it. But from the conversations with the two governments we had a good sense of what was coming and that it was intended to appease David Trimble."
The Sinn Fein leadership had no hand in the drafting of the document. "We will continue to press the two governments on the document, its contents and what it means."
The Sinn Fein sources said that the document leaned very heavily in one direction. "People believe, rightly or wrongly, that the two governments were blackmailed or intimidated."
The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, has welcomed as "good news" the announcement that the multi-party talks are to hold sessions in London and Dublin.
A talks committee, chaired by Gen John de Chastelain, agreed yesterday that Strand Two talks on North-South bodies will move to London for three days from January 26th and later hold a three-day session in Dublin from February 16th.
"I think the participants will enjoy and, I hope, benefit from the change of venue from [Stormont] Castle Buildings," Dr Mowlam said.
She said the talks would embrace three main relationships: those within Northern Ireland, the North-South dimension and the totality of relationships.
Dr Mowlam described the joint paper as a proper basis for negotiation. "The talks participants have a lot of hard work ahead of them. They deserve everyone's wholehearted support."
A separate talks committee on decommissioning met in private at Castle Buildings yesterday morning.
In a statement, the SDLP's representative at the talks, Mr Sean Farren, said it should be possible to consider the Mitchell Report's recommendation for decommissioning to take place during negotiations.
"Given the progress recorded this week with respect to the political agenda and the advances beginning to be achieved with respect to the other confidence-building measures, confidence needs to be built on this issue as well," Mr Farren said.