On the ground: There were protesters and pacing, but no agreement on the name for any new deal at Hillsborough yesterday.
The negotiations were said to be as important as those leading to the agreement on Good Friday but the name for any new deal remained up in the air. Unionists and nationalists concurred that, somehow, the Pancake Tuesday Accord didn't have quite the right ring. Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern were met by two separate protests when they arrived for talks at Hillsborough Castle yesterday. If there wasn't strength in numbers among those taking part, there was certainly no lack of conviction. Two women peace campaigners waved placards saying "Tony - get the Bush off your head" and "Say No To Terror - Food Not Bombs".
Sam Jackson, a solitary loyalist with an Ulster flag, had no problem with bombing Baghdad, he just wanted Tony Blair to act tough in Belfast. "No appeasement of Saddam but plenty to Sinn Féin/IRA" read his placard.
"They'll soon be demanding Hans Blix goes into south Armagh," remarked one reporter. Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble, only had one thing on his mind as he entered the talks and it wasn't Iraq.
"We are here to see whether we are now going to be told by republicans their so-called war is over and isn't going to come back," he said. Tony Blair's official spokesman believed major progress could be made.
"There's a will to do it," he said. The media were keen to know if the talks were likely to run overnight and Blair's man was asked if he had brought his tooth- brush. SDLP leader Mark Durkan was fully committed to the dialogue but showed signs that his patience with others wasn't infinite. "This process has dragged on so long, it's like a Homer Simpson nightmare. Every time it's meant to come to a conclusion, there are new difficulties."
English journalists advised Sinn Féin that progress mightn't be as quick as they wanted. It would be impossible to dismantle all the Border watch-towers at once because so many British army engineers were in Saudi Arabia.
"We'll take the towers down ourselves if we have to," said the eager Sinn Féin press officer. Veteran republican, Joe Cahill, turned heads when he arrived as part of the Sinn Féin delegation. Nobody believed he was a key negotiator but the symbolism of his presence didn't go unnoticed. "If Joe Cahill is being wheeled out, Sinn Féin are going to make major compromises. He's being seen to give his blessing," said an observer.
Former Sinn Féin press officer, Danny Morrison, wasn't part of the delegation but arrived - in jeans and anorak - on his bike. "Danny's here to call for more cycling lanes to be added to Sinn Féin's shopping list of demands for Blair," quipped one broadcaster.
The negotiations inside were said to be positive and constructive but every hour or so the Sinn Féin delegation would emerge to pace the grounds of Hillsborough Castle. They walked and talked liked men in deep discussion, Gerry Adams - with hands in pockets - looking serious and intense. SDLP negotiator Sean Farren believed it was all a pose for the cameras. "They're probably just discussing who won the 3.30 at Market Rasen," he said.
Mr Farren didn't believe that whatever agreement was reached by Pancake Tuesday, it would necessarily be written in stone. David Trimble had to go back to the Ulster Unionist Council, his party's ruling body, and Sinn Féin had their own people to see.
"There will have to be talks with seven men, or should I say seven persons. I'm not quite sure of the gender composition of that particular group," he quipped.