Nationalist representatives have made a renewed call for face-to-face talks between residents and the Orange Order as the Portadown lodge's parade to Drumcree Church passed off relatively peacefully.
The spokesman for the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition, Mr Brendan Mac Cionnaith, welcomed the fact that little antagonism occurred between Orangemen and residents. However, he stressed that full judgment should be reserved until the night had passed.
Mr Mac Cionnaith was critical of final-hour proposals to the Parades Commission from Port a down Orangemen last Thursday that they would meet residents in a community forum but only after permission for a march had been granted.
"Unfortunately, the Orange Order believes that a process should have a predetermined outcome and start with the end result being delivered first," said Mr Mac Cionnaith.
He also claimed Orangemen were now attempting to remove the independent South African negotiator, Mr Brian Currin, from the mediation process. Mr Currin, who has been involved in 15 months of negotiations aimed at resolving the standoff, met residents on Saturday.
"He is still hopeful that after this week he can get the Orange Order to re-engage. The question is, are the Orange Order prepared to re-engage?" added Mr Mac Cionnath.
The residents' offer to Orangemen, guaranteeing the parade's outward route, has been rejected. "If the prime motivation for going to Drumcree is attendance at a church service surely then the Orange Order would have seen the real value of our compromise which actually allowed them in and out to Drumcree without any hassle," said Mr MacCionnaith.
He stressed he was also concerned at the "calculated attempt" by Mr David Trimble to link Drumcree to the talks in England next week through his recent meetings with the Parades Commission.
"This is a local issue, which has to be resolved locally. So why does David Trimble wish to link this problem in Portadown to the wider political picture? "
The SDLP Assembly member for Upper Bann, Ms Brid Rodgers, said the parade had proceeded with "relative calm" past St John the Baptist Church. But people were tense following the killing of Mr Ciaran Cummings in Antrim last week.
She called on the Orange Order to show leadership and engage in direct talks with nationalist residents. "Deaths have already happened because of Drumcree over the last seven years, the economy is being destroyed, the tourist industry, which has already suffered a blow with foot-and-mouth, is being further destroyed, and it is having an awful impact on people from a human point of view," Ms Rodgers said.
Ms Dara O'Hagan, the Sinn Fein Assembly member for the area, said this year's march was on a smaller scale. "It's clear that numbers are down from previous years and it was much more low-key," she said.