Senator George Mitchell has appealed to the main protagonists to devise a formula which would break the stubborn deadlock over IRA disarmament and the formation of an executive, as pro-agreement parties begin intensive talks in London today.
Four-member delegations from the pro-agreement parties flew to London yesterday and early today for the negotiations, being held as part of Senator Mitchell's review.
Some sources said the venue for this initiative was Lancaster House in London, but it was also suggested that the senator might have a number of venues in mind in London to try to maintain a news blackout.
The shift of location from Stormont to London is no great surprise. Senator Mitchell previously signalled such a course when the review began in early September.
He hopes that these talks will force the two main parties to the impasse, Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionist Party, to end their "shadow-boxing" and address the heart of the matter, "guns and government".
He said his review was now entering a "crucial phase" and he hoped these negotiations could proceed in private.
"What is required now is the commitment of all of the pro-agreement parties to find a way through the current difficulties. I hope that they can do so in a way that will create the necessary trust to allow the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement to proceed," he added.
Politicians were not expecting a breakthrough in these talks, rather they were hoping that they would clear the ground for what may be the final stage of this process, beginning next week.
