The vast majority of people in the North do not want the talks to fail, and neither do they want to see the British government impose a settlement, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Dr James Mehaffey, has told his diocesan synod.
In an address which spoke of subtle shifts in allegiances among unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland, the bishop said that the collapse of the talks process would be taken by republican and loyalist paramilitaries as a signal to resume their violence.
"The process that will lead to a genuine political accommodation will be incredibly complex and difficult and there will be many setbacks. One thing is certain, political leaders need our support and encouragement as never before," he said yesterday in Raphoe, Co Donegal.
On changing allegiances, the bishop said, "Many people within the unionist tradition are increasingly aware that their sense of Britishness has altered considerably.
"While the desire to remain part of the United Kingdom is as strong as ever, they find it difficult to think of themselves as sharing the same culture as those on the other side of the Irish Sea.
"Belfast is not the same as Manchester, London or Bristol," he said.
"It is even more obvious that the people of the United Kingdom do not look on Northern Ireland as an equal partner with them. For people brought up in the unionist tradition this is a very difficult development, and helps to heighten fear and raise uncertainty about the future."
There were equally complex changes among nationalists, said Bishop Mehaffey.
"Political understanding of national identity is not the same in Belfast as it is in Dublin, Limerick or Cork. The people of the Republic of Ireland increasingly see their future in Europe and in developing links with the United Kingdom," he continued.
"It becomes more and more difficult for nationalists in the North to hold traditional views which imply the re-unification of Ireland, and the creation of an all-Ireland independent republic.
"Articles 2 and 3 may represent an aspiration but in reality the people of the Republic will look to the United Kingdom and to Europe as the context in which their future is set."
Bishop Mehaffey said that as a consequence of these changes, more and more people in Northern Ireland, in spite of quite fundamental differences, recognised that together they must find an accommodation. They saw that they must reach a settlement which gives sufficient confidence to both main traditions to enable "them to live together in peace and to make their contribution to the welfare of society".
Meanwhile, the former Ulster Unionist Party leader, Lord Molyneaux, has accused the IRA of planning to target British Legion parades on Remembrance Sunday. He told the House of Lords that republican protests against such "truly cross-community, not-sectarian " marches marked "the beginning of a new phase of IRA activity".
Lord Molyneaux said that the parades Bill, being discussed in the House of Lords, should also be extended to cover Britain as well as Northern Ireland because, he believed, the IRA may be planning to cause disruption through protests at British Legion parades in Britain.
Following a meeting with the North's education minister, Mr Tony Worthington, the Peace People called for the repeal of the emergency legislation in the North.
The organisation, represented by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Ms Mairead Maguire, and Mr Paul Smyth, also urged Mr Worthington to create a new education curriculum that would allow young people to learn about human rights, politics, citizenship, and alternatives to violence.
