Round table talks involving all the pro-agreement parties and the British government are taking place at Stormont this afternoon, ahead of Thursday's meeting in London with the two prime ministers. Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP may also resume their own talks later today.
Today's activity comes against a background of steadily mounting impatience with the pace of progress. In a newspaper interview this morning Seamus Mallon spoke of the process "going around in circles". The deputy first minister told the London Times that attempts to get an executive formed were without a "game plan".
Today, the Northern Secretary said that there is an urgent need to find a way to break the deadlock in the peace process. Dr Mowlam was reacting to the Taoiseach's rejection of the so-called six month transitional plan. She said neither of them wanted the process drawn out.
