THERE was warm applause from the great bulk of the party delegations when Senator Mitchell entered the conference room to assume the chairmanship of the plenary talks session for the first time.
At 12.40 am. he began to call on the parties one by one to affirm their total and absolute commitment to the six Mitchell Principles of democracy and non violence.
All of those present at that time did so. Those were both governments, Alliance, Labour, the Women's Coalition, the PUP, the SDLP, the UDP, and the UUP.
The UK Unionist Party and the DUP delegations had already left the conference room the DUP leader, Dr Ian Paisley, making a fiery speech of denunciation and protest before exiting.
The document circulated to everybody, concerning "Possible Approach to Resolving Procedural Difficulties" made it clear that all three independent chairmen recognised that ultimately agreement on procedural and all other matters in the negotiations was a matter for the participants.
Consultations are to take place over the next few days between the chairmen, the governments and the parties, concerning procedural rules and agendas, and the chairmen will report back to a full plenary session on June 19th.
As he left the talks building, the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, said he was very pleased that they had managed to open the session and have the three independent chairmen installed.
He added "We also managed to have the declarations to the Mitchell Principles from the parties who were present in the room, and we also had the acceptance of the chairmen by all the parties who were present. As far as I am concerned that was a good day's work."
Mr Spring said he had absolute confidence in the ability of the three chairmen who had been appointed. Their ability to carry out the functions they had been given would become obvious to every body in the coming weeks and months.
"There is a job of work to be done by the governments and the parties and I am confident that will be done in the coming months."
He asserted that there was a lot of common ground among the parties in relation to the (procedural) rules. Some parties had views they wanted to express and he was sure they would have free access to the chair and to the governments over the next week to make those views known.
Replying to questions, he said he believed that in relation to that day's business Mr Trimble had behaved responsibly all those in leadership positions had a duty to be available for negotiations and to try to make progress between the parties, and he believed they had done that in moving the whole situation forward that evening.
Sources close to the late night negotiations which led to the breakthrough said that the whole process had almost collapsed at lunchtime yesterday.
They believed Mr Trimble had decided to engage in direct and purposeful negotiations with the Irish Government delegation because he did not want the peace talks process to disintegrate, in circumstances in which he would have taken the brunt of the blame.
Dr Paisley and Mr Robert McCartney emerged together, and each accused Mr Trimble of having broken a written agreement which all three had endorsed last Saturday.
Mr McCartney said "As far as I am concerned what happened tonight was a complete reversal of the principles of democracy. It was quite clear that the two governments were determined that, come Hell or high water, they were going to impose their opinions and their plans upon a very very large section of pro Union opinion."
He said. "The Ulster Unionist Party today performed in a way that I did not think I would ever live to see the Ulster Unionist Party behaving. They were gutless they were unprincipled, and they were a disgrace as far as I am concerned to what pro Union people believe in.
Progressively during the day they had produced a number of documents, each of which had been a weaker and weaker pro-Union position. "They did not appear to realise that they were making concessions," he said. "Their performance as negotiators was pathetic.
Dr Paisley said that Senator Mitchell had been got into the chair through a document prepared by Mr Trimble and his followers in a meeting with the Government of the Republic.
"Mr Trimble is claiming he has got a great concession. He has got nothing of the sort," said Dr Paisley. He claimed that Mr Trimble had agreed with the Irish Government to give more power to Mr Mitchell and to the two governments "in controlling our affairs".
Mr McCartney accused Mr Trimble of having "done a deal directly, not with the British government, but with the representatives of the Dublin Government to the exclusion of his fellow unionists"
"I would never have believed that this could have occurred," Mr McCartney declared.
Both men said, however that they would be returning to the talks today.
Before the talks opened, Mr John Taylor condemned the appointment of Senator Mitchell as the equivalent of appointing an American Serb to the Bosnia peace talks.
Early today he said. "I am not saying he is going to be appointed. But I am saying a Serb with no powers is acceptable."
Mr Ken Maginnis, the Ulster Unionist MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, said the plan would ensure "there is no supremo able to parachute in his own exclusive ideas, but rather that the will of the forum and negotiators will be what will hold sway.
SDLP leader John Hume praised Mr Trimble in helping to break the deadlock.
He said. "I welcome very much the leadership he has shown."