The Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party opened a new and significant dialogue with the Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, at a meeting in the Irish Embassy in London last night.
Rich in symbolism, their encounter marked mutual recognition - that the DUP is now the dominant and driving force within unionism, and that the Irish Government is integral to the search for peace and political stability in Northern Ireland.
The hour-long meeting set the stage for the opening of the formal review of the Belfast Agreement under the co-chairmanship of the British and Irish governments in Belfast next Tuesday.
The political pace in Northern Ireland is set to quicken further following publication of the DUP's proposals for an alternative agreement after a meeting with the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, in Downing Street next Thursday.
Yesterday, standing under a fluttering Irish tricolour outside the Embassy, Dr Paisley insisted that last night's meeting with Mr Ahern was not "a historic occasion" - while saying it marked "a good beginning" to his party's quest for an agreement acceptable to unionists as well as nationalists which was "stable, democratic, accountable and fair".
However, both sides acknowledged that this was of a different order to any previous engagement.
Describing their talks as "constructive and cordial", the Taoiseach said this was his first meeting with the DUP "in this form". The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson agreed, telling The Irish Times: "It is the first of a kind in that it was one-to-one. But its importance is more related to the fact that this is the start of a process, that we are the senior unionist party and recognise we have to build a good relationship with one of the major parties as the negotiations start."
Despite the determined warm words, the glaring differences remained between the two sides. Dr Paisley told reporters: "We have impressed upon the government of the Irish Republic that a majority of unionists will not accept the Belfast Agreement." Mr Ahern said the Government was anxious to "listen carefully and respectfully" to the DUP, while stressing "that this is a review of the operation of the [Belfast] Agreement and not of its fundamentals".
However, when asked if he felt he could "do business" with the Taoiseach, Dr Paisley replied that he could "do business with any man" prepared to "face the big issue" which he defined as "getting rid of the guns of the terrorists".
Mr Ahern said: "He [Dr Paisley] said he wants to see an end to all the guns in Northern Ireland, we agree with that."
Yet the distance still to be travelled before the two sides could come close to real agreement was illustrated by the fact that Dr Paisley spoke to reporters outside the Embassy in the freezing cold, before the press were ushered in to hear Mr Ahern.
This arrangement in turn reflected the DUP's obvious preference to meet the Taoiseach, as one of their number put it, "in the capital city of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". However, with Belfast and Dublin seemingly deemed unsuitable venues for this first formal encounter, it was not lost on commentators that the meeting took place in a part of London formally considered part of Irish sovereign territory.
The self-described "traditional unionist" leader clearly had issues of sovereignty in mind when he said he had impressed on the Irish Government delegation that his party would not be negotiating with them on matters relating to the internal structures for the government of Northern Ireland.
Following their "upbeat" discussions Mr Ahern signalled he had no difficulty here either - since the British would keep them informed of such discussions under the previously established rules for the so-called "Three Strand" talks.
Behind the apparent shadow-boxing, however, the indications were of a growing convergence at least on the central requirements for future political progress and the commitment of all parties to exclusively peaceful and democratic means. Dr Paisley was accompanied by his five fellow MPs; the Taoiseach by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Tom Kitt.