The political focus in Northern Ireland was switching to Bournemouth today as leading local politicians head for the Labour Party annual conference.
Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble, SDLP leader Mr Mark Durkan, together with party colleague Mr Alex Attwood, are off to the English south coast.
Sinn Féin is sending the biggest team - Mr Martin McGuiness, North Belfast representative Mr Gerry Kelly and former Stormont Health Minister Ms Bairbre de Brun.
Their absences from Belfast is likely to slow down for a few days the drive for a political breakthrough which has seen Mr Trimble and Sinn Féin President Mr Gerry Adams meet four times in two weeks.
Ulster Unionist chairman Mr James Cooper is hosting a reception on the conference fringe tomorrow at which Mr Trimble will speak.
Mr Attwood speaks at a Friends of Ireland fringe meeting tonight and Mr Durkan at another fringe meeting tomorrow night. Labour representative of both the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly will be joining him.
Mr Gerry Kelly is set to address the Agreed Ireland Forum on the theme "Good Friday Agreement through Thick and Thin" tonight. Mr McGuinness is briefing the North American press corps at the conference on Tuesday and Ms de Brun a fringe meeting on Wednesday.
Alliance Party leader Mr David Ford is not attending. He went to the Lib-Dem conference last week.