There must not be a Drumcree type standoff during next month's Apprentice Boys parade, a senior Derry cleric has warned.
Dr Joseph Fell, clerk of the Strabane and Foyle Presbytery in Derry, was speaking after last night's meeting of Derry's Civic Forum, which was set up following serious street disturbances after Apprentice Boys parades through the city last August and December.
For the first time the Apprentice Boys, the Orange Order and unionist councillors participated in the forum and discussions with the Bogside Residents' Group.
The forum, chaired by a former SDLP mayor, Mr Martin Bradley, aims to resolve the issues surrounding contentious parades. Mr Bradley said it was important that the forum was not seen as a "head-to-head debate" between the Apprentice Boys and Bogside residents.
More than 120 people, representing church, community and business groups in Derry, met for two hours to discuss ways of ensuring that next month's parade would take place in a peaceful atmosphere.
It was the third meeting of the forum, and although no agreement on next month's parade was reached, the participants said it had begun to break down the barriers of mistrust. The participants also agreed to hold further meetings.
Dr Fell said: "We need to get the parades issue worked out and we also need to think seriously about the question of Protestants feeling alienated."
The SDLP leader and Foyle MP, Mr John Hume, said the meeting was constructive.
"There was a general acceptance that we want to build a city which will respect diversity and difference, and all sides have to take the suggestions which emerged from the meeting back to their respective organisations."
The Bogside Residents' Group spokesman, Mr Donnacha Mac Niallais, said the meeting was positive.
"I am always hopeful. It was not possible to reach a deal tonight because it is a very deep problem which could not be resolved in two hours of dialogue. The key element is the build-up of trust," he said.
A Democratic Unionist Party councillor, Mr William Hay, speaking on behalf of the Apprentice Boys, said: "Everybody in Londonderry has a right to celebrate a culture and that was recognised by those at the meeting. They now accept that there is a serious problem of Protestant alienation in this city and that is an even bigger problem than the parades issue.
"What we are saying is that we should be allowed to put a disciplined parade on to the streets next month simply to celebrate our culture."
Meanwhile, proximity talks aimed at resolving the Drumcree dispute will reconvene "as soon as possible" after breaking up on Tuesday night without agreement.
Some progress had been made at the talks which were convened by the British Prime Minister's chief-of-staff, Mr Jonathan Powell, said the talks facilitators, the Rev Roy Magee and Mr Peter Quinn.
In a statement, they said bilateral talks - the third such session involving Orangemen and nationalist residents - would continue with the aim of reconvening the talks "as soon as possible".
However, residents of Garvaghy Road later criticised the Orange Order for "intransigence" by insisting on a parade down the road this year. A spokesman for the residents, Mr Breandan Mac Cionnaith, accused the Orange Order of attempting to "hold the entire process hostage" by demanding an unequivocal right to march Garvaghy Road this year before they would enter into any form of dialogue.