Mr Mark Durkan has become the first SDLP leader to attend the annual Remembrance Sunday ceremonies in Derry.
Mr Durkan, accompanied by his wife Jackie, was yesterday among several hundred people who attended the wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial in the Diamond, and later attended a Service of Remembrance in St Columb's Church of Ireland Cathedral.
The city's SDLP mayor, Ms Kathleen McCloskey, laid a wreath at the war memorial on behalf of the City Council.
Her party colleagues, Cllrs Mary Bradley, Annie Courtney, Gerard Diver and John Kerr, were among the official party at the wreath-laying ceremony and at the cathedral service.
The DUP was represented by Alderman Gregory Campbell MP and by Cllrs William Hay and Mildred Garfield.
The Ulster Unionist Party was represented by deputy-mayor Cllr Mary Hamilton and her husband, Cllr Ernest Hamilton.
Speaking after the ceremony, Ms McCloskey said she was honoured to lead the council delegation at both the wreath-laying ceremony and at the cathedral service.
"It was very important for me to be here today. When I took on the position of mayor, I was representing everybody, I took my political hat off. Today I am simply fulfilling the role that is expected of the mayor.
"I have been overwhelmed by the numbers of people who have come up and welcomed me today. A lot of people who I had not met before came up and introduced themselves to me, saying how wonderful it was to see me and to see the delegation from the SDLP at the ceremony," she said.
Mr Durkan said he attended the ceremony as a representative of the constituency.
"This is my first year to attend. I wasn't able to attend last year because I was elected party leader on Remembrance Sunday.
"Therefore I just couldn't be here. This year presents the first opportunity when I, as party leader, could attend and I've done that. I don't see any big deal in that.
"I'm glad that so many people seem to appreciate my attendance. I was impressed by the dignity of the whole service, both at the war memorial in the Diamond and in St Columb's Cathedral. People have told me they appreciated my presence here.
"They, in a sense, see that that accords more recognition and more dignity to their commemoration.
"They have felt maybe by us not having attended in the past, that we were somehow passing some sort of comment on the nature of their remembrance.
"We are all here today remembering people who lost their lives in war and we have prayed for all the victims of war, not just those who died in uniform, but also those who have died or suffered in any way in any war and it's important that people remember that," Mr Durkan said.