Most politicians at the Stormont talks agreed yesterday progress was being made towards a peace settlement. Discussions continued to concentrate on Strand One of the negotiations, which deals with future internal arrangements for Northern Ireland.
Sinn Fein was severely criticised for failing to adequately engage in Monday's debate, but unionist sources said the party had made some contribution to yesterday's discussions. "They asked questions, which was better than nothing. It was a small step forward at least," said one.
The SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, said the session had been very helpful. "There was a substantial exchange of views and a willingness to get to the root of the existing problems."
An Alliance negotiator, Mr Seamus Close, said: "There was evidence of real negotiation. Even Sinn Fein was showing a desire to get involved in the discussions." The Ulster Unionist deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, was also optimistic but accused Sinn Fein of being unrealistic.
"We have had a very positive discussion and I think the Sinn Fein delegation has learnt from the criticism they received after sitting like dummies during Monday's debate. The reality is that we are working towards a settlement which will safeguard Northern Ireland's position within the UK and set up an assembly at Stormont.
"Sinn Fein, however, don't seem to be able to accept this. They are living on the moon and we have got to get them back to Earth." A Sinn Fein negotiator, Ms Bairbre de Brun, denied that her party was being unco-operative and said it had listened to unionist arguments about the merits of an assembly, but was unconvinced. "Sinn Fein has been actively engaged in the Strand One discussions over the last few days. Our opposition to an assembly has been cynically misrepresented as non-engagement . . . On the contrary, we asked those who believe an assembly is a good idea to give us their reasons. So far they have failed to respond adequately to the points we have raised."
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, said republicans needed to know whether crossBorder bodies would be subordinate to an assembly. "The abuse of power by unionists historically in Belfast City Hall and in other institutions raises many serious questions about the role of an assembly within the North," he added.
He also said there had been little progress in discussing other issues such as "the equality agenda, sovereignty, demilitarisation, and the release of all political prisoners." However, in an implicit criticism of Sinn Fein, an SDLP negotiator, Mr Sean Farren, said: "The talks have been damaged in recent days by some parties seeking to dig up the past.
"To achieve an accommodation, structures must be agreed acknowledging and expressing the nationalist sense of identity alongside that of the unionist community. The three-stranded agenda, accepted by all participants, clearly implies that new political structures will be threefold - within the North, between North and South, and between Ireland and Britain.
"To believe that this agenda can be resolved without new powersharing structures within the North itself is unrealistic. Sinn Fein's refusal to support new shared institutions in the North mirrors unionists' refusal to support a North-South council." He said both positions were an abdication.