The SDLP faithful gather this weekend conscious that they face very demanding challenges, writes Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor
How to fully reinstate the Belfast Agreement, implement all its proposals and resist the challenge of Sinn Féin will be the main themes of the 32nd annual SDLP conference beginning in the spanking new Armagh City Hotel tonight.
Out of his Deputy First Minister's office at Stormont and after a full year as leader, Mr Mark Durkan fully realises the challenges as he tries to galvanise rank-and-file SDLP politicians and members for the difficulties ahead.
This is the conference when Mr Durkan must emerge from the shadow of the towering figures of the party, John Hume and Seamus Mallon.
In a number of pre-conference interviews with The Irish Times and other media Mr Durkan saw some advantage in being out of his Stormont offices in that he now had time to concentrate almost solely on party matters. "And that's no bad thing," he added.
The conference under the banner of "Leadership for All" also arrives in the wake of the IRA's decision to cut off contact with Gen John de Chastelain's International Independent Commission on Decommissioning (IICD).
The two governments believe and hope that this is all part of the initial fencing between the different groupings ahead of any serious attempt to restore devolution.
Mr Durkan is conscious that such a strategy could place the SDLP politically out in the cold while the focus would primarily fall on Sinn Féin, the IRA and the two governments - with Sinn Féin reaping the publicity and the electoral benefits.
"The IRA's on-off engagement with the IICD is no less discouraging than the UUP's on-off commitment to the political institutions. It should be clear to all that the Good Friday agreement will not be saved by set pieces and tedious counter-postures," Mr Durkan said.
"There is no point in any government, party or armed group being selective about the issues, or exclusive about their own roles. All of the parties need to deal with all the issues and to bring forward all of the agreement." And this mainly explains why Mr Durkan is placing such store by the reactivation of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in Dublin.
At least with an inclusive forum back in operation there is some hope that politics in the coming months won't develop into a Gerry Adams-Tony Blair-Bertie Ahern affair.
Mr Durkan, in line with Sinn Féin, argues for reconvening immediate talks between the parties. "There should be no cooling-off period. Otherwise the agreement would grow cold," he said.
He realises, too, that despite the IRA withdrawing from the IICD the signals from Mr Gerry Adams and other senior republicans is that if the agreement is fully implemented the IRA will respond. The difficulty, however, is in establishing the choreography so no one side is seen to be losing face or answering to diktats.
"We need to deliver the full agreement in a way that resolves all the confidence issues, and if we do that, we could have elections earlier than May," said Mr Durkan.
Mr Durkan will give his keynote speech tomorrow afternoon. Tonight there will be a debate on the issue closest to the hearts of the party, providing inclusive policing for everyone in Northern Ireland.