Leading figures in the North's business and commercial community called for progress in the political process yesterday and urged those involved to pull back from an imminent "collision course" on decommissioning.
The chairman of the Group of 7, Sir George Quigley, said that it was not too late to recapture the hopes generated by the signing of the Belfast Agreement. However, further steps were needed.
Fourteen representatives from seven organisations, including the Northern Ireland branch of the Confederation of British Industry, the Northern Ireland committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Northern Ireland Economic Council, signed a declaration calling for movement in the peace process.
According to the G7, the early establishment of the executive and a simultaneous start to decommissioning was "what political reality requires and the creation of a normal, decent society demands".
The declaration stated: "We wish to see the institutions envisaged in the agreement up and running. Only they can provide the leadership to tackle the mass of urgent social and economic issues which are central to the future welfare of the entire community. For everybody to wait for somebody else to move before moving themselves is a sure recipe for permanent immobility."
Mr Tom Gillen, of the Northern Ireland committee of the ICTU, said that any politician who walked away from the peace process at this stage would be responsible for destabilising the society they were "trying to build up".
Mr Chris Gibson, of the CBI, spoke of the fears of foreign investors: "No normal society can actually say that the news that comes from here is good news. I think that investors would obviously take that into consideration."
Mr Neville Morrison, of the Northern Ireland Hospitality Federation, emphasised the importance of changing the image of the North as seen from abroad. "Some people still don't see Northern Ireland as a safe place to visit", he said.
The G7 said that it was prepared to speak with all involved in the impasse in the political process, including the paramilitary organisations. "We will speak with anyone who wishes to speak with us", said Sir George.