The Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Mr Seamus Mallon, said yesterday that moves were being made behind the scenes to find a solution to the impasse over the Drumcree Orange parade and prevent violence.
He welcomed yesterday's visit to the North by the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, and said that Mr Blair's visit was being seen as a signal of his support for the Assembly and an attempt to use his influence to broker an agreement on Drumcree.
Mr Mallon described Mr Blair's visit as "high-risk but crucially important". He continued: "I think symbolically it is crucially important, because it shows the interest and commitment that he has to maintaining the progress we are making."
The Deputy First Minister said that attempts were being made behind the scenes to resolve the Drumcree situation. "It is highrisk country for everybody, but we have to win it, that is the reality, and whatever risks have to be taken, let them be taken."
He hoped that Sinn Fein was also "playing its part" in trying to resolve the situation and prevent a possible standoff on Sunday. "I hope they are advising people that there is nothing to be gained for anyone by raising temperatures. I hope they are using their mandate to get a resolution to the problem."
Speaking at a Belfast press conference, Mr Mallon said that the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, as First Minister of Northern Ireland, had an "awesome responsibility" to try to resolve the problem.
Mr Mallon said it was not a simple matter of the Secretary of State, Dr Mo Mowlam, "overturning" the Parades Commission's decision to bar the Orangemen from marching along the nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown. However, efforts were being made by everyone to resolve the problem before Sunday's parade.
The only way to reach an accommodation on Drumcree was through dialogue between members of the Orange Order and the Garvaghy Road residents. He was "not without hope" that a meeting could take place before Sunday.
Mr Mallon discussed the issue with Mr Trimble before Mr Blair arrived at Castle Buildings in Stormont yesterday. It is understood that the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, and the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, have also been involved in negotiations.
However, Irish Government sources and residents opposed to the parade say that no one has attempted direct negotiations with the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition.
Both sides remained publicly committed to their positions yesterday. The Orange Order says that it is determined to march in defiance of the decision to reroute the parade, while the Residents' Coalition says that the decision of the Parades Commission must be enforced.