THE Northern peace talks will resume this morning in an atmosphere fraught with procedural wrangling, after an opening ceremony yesterday that was marred by unionist objections and overshadowed by a high profile sideshow over Sinn Fein's exclusion.
The British and Irish prime ministers finally inaugurated the multi party talks soon after 2 p.m. with joint exhortations to the parties involved to take account of the heavy responsibility which they bore.
When their formal opening statements ended, however, the planned handing over of the chairmanship to US Senator George Mitchell did not materialise.
Following forceful interjections by the unionist delegations, Northern Secretary Sir Patrick Mayhew assumed the chair and Senator Mitchell remained in an ante room throughout the day.
Afterwards, unionist leaders asserted that they had prevented the governments from imposing either an agenda or a chairman on the proceedings.
UUP leader Mr David Trimble asserted that the agenda drafted by the governments had been "binned", and that "we have opened the position up for genuine debate".
Last night, the future of the historic talks seemed precarious, as the unionists affirmed their determination to continue to block Senator Mitchell and Government sources insisted that both the original agenda and the Senator's role must be preserved.
"We have a finely balanced agreement and if we go in one particular direction that will upset the other side", the sources said.
"The Irish Government will continue to insist on Senator Mitchell as chairman and on the agenda as set out last week."
After yesterday's session was adjourned at around 7 p.m., the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, and Sir Patrick met to review the day's developments. As he left Stormont, Mr Spring said the Government was not prepared to reconsider the way in which the chairmanship was defined. Sir Patrick later began a meeting with Senator Mitchell.
Unionist spokesmen emerging from Castle Buildings in the grounds of Stormont were adamant that their blocking tactics had succeeded. Mr Ian Paisley Jnr said: "Mr Mitchell has not been in the negotiating room and I don't believe he will even get into the negotiating room, because he's not an acceptable chairman."
Mr Robert McCartney, of the UK Unionist Party, also claimed that Senator Mitchell's role was untenable.
In a joint press conference with the Taoiseach yesterday afternoon, Mr Major admitted that the process was potentially going to be long, difficult and demanding. He revealed that he had met Mr Trimble, Mr John Taylor Dr Paisley and Mr McCartney before the plenary session began meetings which patently failed to avert the later unionist onslaught on Senator Mitchell's role.
In an interview on Channel 4 television later, Mr Major admitted the peace talks process was "probably going to take longer than the period of this government".
Meanwhile, massive media attention and hectic scenes surrounded the arrival at the talks venue of a Sinn Fein delegation led by Mr Gerry Adams. Three party officers were allowed enter the venue to talk to Irish and British officials, who told them Mr Adams would be allowed in to hear a statement explaining his exclusion from the talks.
However, in response to Sinn Fein's demand that the officials should emerge to read the statement outside the gate of the venue, an NIO press officer eventually read the joint statement of the two governments to a battery of news cameras.
Plans for live television and radio coverage of the prime ministers opening statements were cancelled at the last minute, apparently because of fears of interruptions by unionists.
Mr Trimble insisted last night that Sir Patrick was in the chair at yesterday's proceedings simply because he had issued the invitations to the parties. Nobody had actually been appointed chairman, Mr Trimble insisted.
He said suggestions had emerged yesterday evening that the governments should look at the guidelines adopted in the previous negotiations chaired by Sir Ninian Stephen.
Irish Government sources continued to insist that the only alternative to Senator Mitchell's chairmanship would be for the two governments to co chair the talks - an option which would also be anathema to unionists.