The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, has warned of republican grassroots dissatisfaction at the slow pace of the Stormont talks. He signalled that republicans are planning public demonstrations to highlight their frustrations. The Sinn Fein leader said at Stormont yesterday it was up to the British and Irish governments to bring momentum to the talks. When asked if his comments were not a mirror of repeated Sinn Fein warnings in advance of the collapse of the first IRA ceasefire, Mr Adams was careful to stress that he was making no comment about the IRA.
But he added: "If people in the Creggan, or in Crossmaglen, or in Ballymurphy, or in Coalisland - if young people especially - see no real change on the ground then they have to ask, what peace process?"
He also indicated that republicans are to stage future protests similar to the protest at Belfast City Hall on Monday. "I hope no sensible person wants us to go back into conflict. So it is entirely legitimate that people focus attention in a peaceful way on issues that are of concern to them."
Pressed by reporters as to whether his comments could be interpreted as a warning about the durability of the IRA ceasefire, he said: "I am not giving you a warning. I am giving you information, and if I may say so, information is power. I am giving you information that because unionists are in a room in here people may have thought that progress is being made. It isn't."
Mr Adams said the DUP and the UUP leaderships were divided only by tactics in their approach to the talks process, and he appealed to ordinary unionists to pressurise Mr David Trimble to deal directly with Sinn Fein.
He added that loyalist paramilitaries had been targeting Sinn Fein councillors and other party members in recent days. In relation to events on the ground the only organisation observing a ceasefire was the IRA.
The SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, also complained of UUP "childishness" during the talks, and spoke of tensions in the talks which were not "helping the whole process".
Despite the Sinn Fein and SDLP concerns, Mr Mallon expressed hope of future movement. Next week the politicians will finish the agenda items and then enter what he described as "intensive" bilateral and trilateral negotiations where, it is hoped, real progress can be made.
Mr Trimble rejected the Sinn Fein and SDLP complaints, but agreed that real movement could only occur in intensive bilateral meetings. The current talks could not make progress because with up to 60 people engaging in plenary sessions the politicians could only "skate over the surface of the issues".
Politicians were "grandstanding" rather than engaging in genuine debate. Mr Trimble said his party would not have entered the talks unless it was serious about the process. However, the UUP is still adamant it will not engage directly with Sinn Fein.
Despite the difficulties the British and Irish governments were quite sanguine about the pace of movement to date. The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, said that after next week the parties will engage in intensive consultations in small groups, following which a review plenary will take place from December 1st to 3rd.
She could understand the frustrations of Mr Adams and others. "On the whole we are moving slowly, but progress is being made," said Dr Mowlam.
The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, after his first attendance at the talks, said more "intensive, qualitative" negotiations should follow now that the initial agenda items had been dealt with.
During yesterday's talks Mr Trimble criticised Dr Martin Mansergh, special adviser to the Taoiseach, for addressing a debate in west Belfast on Monday night on "The Need for a Nationalist Consensus".
