There was growing uncertainty over the political outlook for the North last night with an outbreak of dissension among the parties on the contents of the Police Bill and a leaked private letter from the Northern Secretary to the Ulster Unionist leader.
Over the next few days, it will become clear whether the various political statements and counter-statements constitute a serious threat to the process or are motivated by factional rivalry and attempts to win last-minute concessions from the British government.
Concern was growing that further deterioration in the situation would lead to the withdrawal of the IRA offer to put its weapons beyond use. There was also continuing doubt over the outcome of the Ulster Unionist Council meeting, assuming it went ahead as planned on Saturday.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, said that, while the British and Irish governments had committed themselves to the implementation of the Patten proposals on policing, the Police Bill did not fulfil that commitment and represented a "major departure" from Patten on some of the most important issues.
Meanwhile, the Ulster Unionist Assembly Member for Newry and Armagh, Mr Danny Kennedy, said Mr Mandelson's letter to Mr David Trimble was insufficient to allay unionist fears. Speaking after a meeting of his Assembly party at Stormont, Mr Kennedy said: "There is a general feeling that the letter doesn't go far enough in what it indicates, not only by the UUP but by the greater number of people of Northern Ireland. Clearly, there are a number of issues that can't be avoided and can't be overlooked either.
"In terms of the name of the RUC, and particularly with the flying of the Union flag, in this part of the United Kingdom many of us are at the end of our tether with the SDLP and Sinn Fein, who are supposedly pro-agreement parties and have signed themselves up to acceptance of Northern Ireland's position within the United Kingdom. The reality of that is that the flag of the nation is only the one flag, namely the Union flag."
In his letter, the Northern Secretary reassured Mr Trimble that the RUC was not being disbanded and said he believed an "honourable and permanent place" could be found for its name consistent with the Patten proposals. Mr Mandelson also said that if the Assembly collapsed again, the North/South Ministerial Council would not meet and the functions of the implementation bodies would "return to where they came from".
The SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, appealed to both governments to stop the "drip feed" of concessions. He said sending letters to some political parties was damaging the devolution process.
He criticised the UUP for making the RUC's name and the flying of the Union flag a stumbling block to re-entering the Executive. "For two years, we had a problem. The problem was decommissioning. One half-hour after the decommissioning issue was effectively resolved, then we had two more issues on the table. Then when you look at the Secretary of State's letter, it is very clear it is not just those two issues. That is not the way to do political business either by the Secretary of State or by any of the parties," he said.
The UUP deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, described the Northern Secretary's letter as "disappointing" and said it was "devoid of decisions" on the RUC name and the flag issue. He said the political process had been "moving adversely" over the past week and "this is a further adverse contribution".
The anti-agreement UUP Assembly Member, Mr Peter Weir, dismissed Mr Mandelson's offer as inadequate and predicted he would change the RUC's name once the UUP re-entered the Executive. An anti-agreement group, Business for Democracy, has sent a pamphlet to all UUC delegates advising them to oppose rejoining the Executive with Sinn Fein.
Following a meeting between his party and Mr Mandelson, Sinn Fein's Mr Martin McGuinness said there was "huge concern within republican and nationalist Ireland" about any dilution of the Patten proposals. "Sinn Fein shares those concerns and we spelt this out to the British Secretary of State."
Dr Esmond Birnie, UUP Assembly Member for South Belfast, said it was "simply not good enough that the SDLP retreats to an Olympian height every time there is a dispute between Sinn Fein and the UUP as to devolution and decommissioning". The SDLP should make common cause with "the centre ground and the proven democrats, the Ulster Unionists".