After the Ulster Unionist Party finally confronted Sinn Fein directly at Stormont yesterday, intensive behind-the-scenes efforts began to try to persuade Mr David Trimble to allow the process move on to substantive matters.
While the British and Irish governments are today expected to reject yesterday's attempt by the UUP to have Sinn Fein expelled from the talks, the future of the process still effectively remains in the hands of Mr Trimble.
That Sinn Fein and the UUP were face-to-face in a room at Stormont for the first time to engage in a process which deals with the three sets of relationship between Britain and Ireland was overshadowed by the continuing uncertainty of the overall talks process.
The UUP in an "indictment" presented by Mr Ken Maginnis at a plenary talks session yesterday trenchantly argued that Sinn Fein was wedded to the IRA. Despite its ceasefire announcement, he insisted that the republican movement was not truly committed to peace and the Mitchell Principles of non-violence and democracy.
In his seven-page indictment in which he spoke of "unreconstructed murderers" being invited to the "table of democracy", the UUP's security spokesman acknowledged that having come this far, the British and Irish governments were unlikely to force Sinn Fein from the process.
"Ulster Unionists have come here today assured by people from every walk of life that we are presenting a case where the verdict has already been written. That is likely to be so," he added. After presenting their argument, senior politicians in the UUP delegation left the negotiating room without listening to the Sinn Fein response. There were no handshakes. Some of Mr Trimble's aides, however, remained in the room to hear the Sinn Fein defence which effectively was that there was no link between Sinn Fein and the IRA.
In a press conference outside Castle Buildings, Mr Trimble said he objected "to the presence in the plenary of the godfathers of the terrorism that has wracked this province for the past 25 years".
"We called upon the Secretary of State to justify her decision to bring to the table of democracy those who have been responsible for murder and iniquitous crime for which they have not paid their debt to society," he added.
Mr Trimble would not disclose what his next move would be, although he insisted his party would not shirk its responsibilities to unionists. Should the two governments, as expected, reject the UUP indictment, it will be then for them to put down a procedural motion moving the talks to substantive matters.
However, under the rule of "sufficient consensus", that can only happen with the agreement of the UUP. With decommissioning still unresolved, it remains problematic whether the British and Irish governments can put that motion today. Earnest back room activity involving the UUP and the two governments took place at Stormont yesterday, and is expected to continue today to try and keep the UUP involved in the process.
"Unionism would not be marginalised," Mr Trimble said, which seemed to indicate that he would eventually allow the talks to proceed. He may, however, also engage in tactical manoeuvring to postpone that actual move beyond today, or to wring some concessions from the two governments.
He also indicated that if the talks did move ahead, his party would seek to avoid or boycott meetings involving Sinn Fein while engaging in bilateral or multilateral meetings with the other participants. "We can pick and choose bilaterals," he said.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, described yesterday's plenary session as a "sham". "One view is that this is David Trimble's ticket into talks and that we should tolerate it, and we do. The other view is that it is highly provocative the way he behaves," he said.
"The question is, does David Trimble want to make peace? And that question will be answered [today] when the governments put the procedural motion to move all of this into substantive talks and for Sinn Fein, that's the important day this week, when that procedural motion is put." Sinn Fein in its defence against the UUP indictment argued that it was a separate body from the IRA. It also focused on what it saw as UUP hypocrisy in dealing with the loyalist parties which are linked to the UVF and UDA, while trying to expel Sinn Fein. As part of that focus, Sinn Fein met a delegation at Stormont yesterday of people whose relatives had been killed by the UVF and UDA.
Mr Paul O'Dwyer, the veteran Irish-American human rights lawyer, also attended Castle Buildings where he was greeted by Mr Adams and Mr Martin McGuinness.
The Ulster Democratic Party and the Progressive Unionist Party remained to hear the Sinn Fein defence. Afterwards, the PUP leader, Mr Hugh Smyth, and Mr John White of the UDP accused Sinn Fein of "telling lies" in rejecting a connection with the IRA. The two parties argued that it was vital that the link be admitted because, for the talks to succeed, the views of the paramilitaries must be reflected at them. The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, said Mr Trimble would eventually move to roundtable talks with Sinn Fein. "Boy David may come out beating his chest, but in reality he is beating a retreat," he added.
The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, said the UUP indictment concentrated on past statements about the IRA by senior Sinn Fein members, including Mr Adams, "but, rather than dragging up the past we should be looking to the future and getting down to real talks to reach agreement". The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, said the UUP indictment and the Sinn Fein defence would be carefully considered, and that a decision would be announced today, most likely in the late afternoon.