A friendly co-operative spirit had been shown by the 10 new Ministers present for the first meeting of the executive of the Northern Ireland Assembly following 27 years of direct rule, the North's First Minister said.
As Mr David Trimble struggled to be heard over loud cries of "traitor" from a man wielding a protest banner, Mr Seamus Mallon encouraged him to "keep going".
Mr Trimble said: "This was not a meeting for decision-making. We are all new to the job and we all have a considerable range of matters to look at and consider, so we were in effect reading our way into the situation.
"I look forward to the same friendly, co-operative spirit at future meetings when no doubt there will be difficult decisions that have to be taken," he added.
The executive is scheduled to meet again on Tuesday. Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon co-chaired the meeting, which lasted from 3 p.m. to 4.20 p.m. Both said they regretted the absence of the two DUP ministers, Mr Peter Robinson and Mr Nigel Dodds.
Mr Trimble said the DUP contributions would have enhanced the meeting. "We hope this situation will resolve itself before long."
According to Mr Mallon, the new ministers had all proved to be "very well briefed" on the needs of their Departments and he said he was pleased with the nature of the personal relations between those at the meeting.
"It is an important day politically for all of us." If the current spirit of goodwill continued, it augured well for the future, he added.
The agenda for the meeting included financial provision for public services in the North, arrangements for the preparation of a programme for government, a draft ministerial code and the initial legislative programme of the new administration.
In Stormont's Great Hall shortly before the historic meeting, Mr Mallon said he was "absolutely terrified" but deter mined to meet the challenges ahead. "It's a frightening experience to cope with the problems that we face. All of us will be strengthened in the process of dealing with these problems. We will then have the basis for something entirely new, probably something that none of us ever imagined," he said.
He pledged that there would be "no scarcity of effort" on the part of the new ministers to ensure the new dispensation realised the ideals of partnership and equality.