AS the Stormont multi-party talks struggled last night for consensus on a seven point agenda for a decisive plenary session next week, serious differences emerged lover the priority to be given to the decommissioning issue.
Although there is now broad agreement on rules of procedure subject to formal ratification by all parties on Monday new problems were raised over the wording and order of the agenda topics.
When he emerged from the balks at 9.p.m last night, the deputy SDLP leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, said. "The sticking point today was the way in which decommissioning would figure on the opening agenda." Mr Mallon suggested it was now up to the independent chairman, Senator George Mitchell, to put the question of each issue in turn to the plenary meeting and achieve a devision on it.
Sources at the talks said unionists were seeking to have a working party, or sub-committee on decommissioning, set up which would actively explore the issue of paramilitary arms while the talks are in recess during August.
But other parties, including the SDLP and Alliance, felt this was stalling tactic which could cloud and impede the key objective of agreeing a substantive agenda to each of the three strands of talks.
It would also decouple the crucial decommissioning issue from progress in substantive negotiations contrary to the basic concept of the Mitchell Report that the two aspects should advance in parallel.
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, told reporters. "I think the general public wants some thing delivered on decommissioning." He thought it would be a very good idea to have a working group report back in September on possible mechanisms for decommissioning.
Asked about the controversial Apprentice Boys' march due in Derry on August 10th, Dr Paisley said local political representatives were intensively seeking a resolution.
But efforts to broker a compromise on the parade appeared to be stalled yesterday, amid speculation that the RUC may try to preempt trouble from either side by closing the city walls completely before the march.
Hopes of a compromise have not been helped by a march last night organised by the Bogside Residents' Group, which is leading opposition to the Apprentice Boys' parade.
More than 1,000 nationalists took part in the event from the Protestant Waterside across the River Foyle to Derry city centre. They demanded that the Orange Order, the Apprentice Boys and the Royal Black Preceptory negotiate with nationalist resident groups on all contentious parades in the North.
There was a low level RUC security presence for the parade, which also skirted the Protestant Fountain Estate on the predominantly nationalist west bank of the city.
Most loyalists heeded pleas from the Apprentice Boys in Derry to "ignore" the parade. The demonstration dispersed peacefully and later last night there were no reports of trouble in the city.
Derry unionists said the march was deliberately provocative, while the SDLP considered it "unhelpful".