When Mr Gerry Adams emerged from Stormont after more than two hours of talks with Dr Mo Mowlam he learned that she had commended him to the media as a "strong, competent" leader. Journalists wondered whether he had anything of note to say about the new Northern Secretary? Yes, he had. He hoped she would be the last Northern Secretary. Of course it was much more civilised in tone, and Mr Adams prefaced his remarks by expressing his contentment that Dr Mowlam was the North's first woman British Secretary of State. He also said that unlike her predecessor, Sir Patrick Mayhew, the new Northern Secretary was prepared to embark on a "real engagement" with Sinn Fein.
Mr Adams and his senior Sinn Fein colleagues were reflecting a point of republican principle made in a five-page position paper presented to Dr Mowlam, which, as Mr Adams bluntly put it, was "an end to British rule on this island".
But he did not say it was a united Ireland or nothing. It was an expression of basic principles rather than an ultimatum. There was talk also of Sinn Fein's desire for "positive engagement" with all parties, particularly unionists, and the need for a "meaningful and inclusive negotiations process". Sinn Fein would approach the talks in a "constructive, responsible and determined manner".
So, at last, after several occasions when Sinn Fein was refused entry at the gates of Stormont, they were finally admitted into the fortress. Face-to-face across a table for two-and-a-half hours, Mr Adams and his team and Dr Mowlam and her team made their points in a "businesslike manner".
Nothing of great note emerged from yesterday's first encounter between Mr Adams and Dr Mowlam since she was appointed Northern Secretary. What was marked about the encounter, and both sides adverted to this, was the pragmatic approach of both teams. "Businesslike", was the repetitive word. There were handshakes all round involving Dr Mowlam and her political development minister and Mr Adams and Mr Martin McGuinness, but these were out of camera-shot.
On the big D-word Dr Mowlam urged Sinn Fein "to work to achieve the earliest possible decommissioning of all paramilitary weapons". Sinn Fein focused on other concerns, approaching decommissioning under the broader term of general demilitarisation.
Several issues were discussed - the Union, prisoners, parity of esteem, equality of treatment, demilitarisation, and decommissioning - but as regards real movement on these matters, that must begin on the resumption of substantive talks. Here we had Consent versus National Self-Determination. The Sinn Fein emphasis was on all-Ireland self-determination without British interference. Dr Mowlam stressed that any settlement must be endorsed by a majority of the people of Northern Ireland. But this was only the weigh-in. The real bout starts on September 15th.
In the meantime there will be more meetings between senior Sinn Fein personnel and Northern Ireland ministers. What was established was that both sides can do business together. Mr Adams felt yesterday's encounter was a "step in the right direction". He was happy that when substantive talks finally begin, "all issues will be on the agenda".
Mr Adams reassured republican critics of the ceasefire that Sinn Fein would continue to put the issue of a united Ireland in an "earnest way" on the agenda. As a measure of Sinn Fein's commitment to core republican values some significance was drawn from the attendance at yesterday's talks of Mr Martin Ferris, the Sinn Fein member who narrowly missed winning a Dail seat in the recent election, and who served a long prison sentence for IRA gun-running.
Asked what his presence was saying to the British authorities, Mr Ferris said: "My past is no different than many others committed to peace and justice in our country, and my presence should be viewed no differently to that of David Ervine or Billy Hutchinson who represent that shade of opinion."
So what will unionists do? We know that at the moment the DUP and the UK Unionist Party will boycott the talks. As for the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the South Belfast MP, the Rev Martin Smyth, was quite sanguine about the occasion, if equally uninformative about whether his party will ultimately engage with Sinn Fein. "We will be keeping to our own terms," said Mr Smyth somewhat cryptically. "Unionist representatives who may be there will not be in the business of giving up the Union." He reiterated unionist concerns about decommissioning without ruling out some form of involvement in the talks. Just like Mr Adams and Dr Mowlam, on the crucial issues the UUP is holding its fire until September 15th.