The former US senator, Mr George Mitchell, is to return to Belfast to meet the North's pro-agreement parties, heralding a start to a review process aimed at solving the impasse over arms decommissioning and the formation of an executive.
The former peace talks chairman will act as an independent facilitator of the review, which will examine the implementation of the Belfast Agreement with regard to the current difficulties preventing devolution.
Mr Mitchell is expected to meet the parties signed up to the agreement at Castle Buildings in Stormont today. He held talks with the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, and senior negotiator, Sir Reg Empey, in London last night.
The meetings will enable Mr Mitchell to update himself on the thinking of the parties, the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, said yesterday. The structure of the review, to start fully in early September, will be discussed.
The Alliance party leader, Mr Sean Neeson, yesterday welcomed the return of Mr Mitchell as facilitator of the review. "He will try to bring out the commonality between all the parties as he did before," he said.
Mr Sean Farren, the SDLP senior negotiator, said the British and Irish governments had failed to forge a deal because they had acted both as negotiators and mediators. Mr Mitchell's independence would allow him to be more flexible.
Mr David Ervine, of the Progressive Unionist Party, said Mr Mitchell's stewardship of the process would ensure it was managed properly unlike previous attempts which operated under no agreed agenda.
Mrs Monica McWilliams, of the Women's Coalition, said the root question of why the UUP and Sinn Fein had adopted their particular stance on the arms issue had to be analysed for the review to be successful. "I think we'll need more than September because sufficient blinking may not be achieved in a couple of weeks," she added.
The DUP has described the review as "a damp squib". The deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, said the scope of the review had been narrowed to maintain a nationalist outcome and "obstructs any attempt to stop prison releases or slow down the process to destroy the RUC".
The Ulster Unionists and SDLP delegations hold their first bilateral meeting today since last week's UUP boycott of the Assembly sitting which witnessed the formation and immediate collapse of an executive comprising SDLP and Sinn Fein ministers.
Mr Farren said his party would object to Mr Trimble retaining the office of First Minister-designate after the resignation of the SDLP's Mr Seamus Mallon as Deputy First Minister last week.
"We believe his resignation should follow as equality is needed between the parties in this review. He should act as leader of his party and in no other capacity, with fresh appointments made after the review is complete," said Mr Farren.
The Sinn Fein Assembly member, Mr Gerry Kelly, also called for Mr Trimble to resign and said the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, should otherwise remove him from office.
Mr Kelly said Mr Trimble had adopted a partisan position as leader of the UUP in his public and private engagements since his election as First Minister 13 months ago.
He added: "As we enter into a review of the implementation of the agreement, he must now formally shed the authority of First Minister-designate. If he fails to do so then Mo Mowlam should remove him from office."
Condolences were sent from Mr Trimble's office to Senator Edward Kennedy yesterday, in the wake of the latest Kennedy tragedy.
"The thoughts and prayers of everyone in Northern Ireland are with you at this difficult time," Mr Trimble wrote.