The British Prime Minister and the Taoiseach appeared to pump some fresh hope into Northern Ireland's political process last night with their decision to resume the Weston Park summit tomorrow. Sceptical Ulster Unionists predicted Mr Blair and Mr Ahern would be forced to engineer a "soft landing" for the process this weekend in the continued absence of any breakthrough on IRA decommissioning, with the "crunch decisions" on the future of the Belfast Agreement probably postponed until the end of the month.
Sinn Fein continued to insist the question of arms would not be settled in compliance with the August 12th deadline imposed by Mr David Trimble's resignation as First Minister.
However, after three days of high-pressure talks, Mr Blair and Mr Ahern said they detected new hope that the outstanding issues could be resolved and declared themselves optimistic agreement could be reached.
Irish sources signalled that a substantive negotiation was once more in play, as speculation mounted about the possible terms of a detailed package plotting the way to the resolution of the decommissioning demilitarisation-policing-institutional deadlock. Even optimists conceded that against their wish and instinct, Mr Blair and Mr Ahern might not be able to complete the negotiations ahead of the Taoiseach's official visit to South America on Monday.
British sources last night insisted Mr Blair was determined to conclude the negotiations one way or another by Saturday. The diaries of the two leaders do not allow for further delay.
One possibility being canvassed last night was that assuming progress tomorrow the two governments might subsequently present the parties with a detailed plan, setting out their view of what needs to be done with a late July date for acceptance or rejection. It would involve London spelling out its intentions in respect of proposals for further demilitarisation measures and policing and criminal justice reforms, together with indicative timetables, alongside its requirement of republicans in terms of putting IRA weapons permanently and verifiably beyond use.
Earlier this week senior Sinn Fein sources said they had consistently pressed Mr Blair for such a "strategic plan" showing how the issues would be dealt with "comprehensively" and in a way which would "end the adhocery" which had bedevilled the agreement until now.
Talks insiders said the old favourite of the process - sequencing - could come back into play if it became clear such a strategy would work and there was agreement in principle on what had to be done on all sides.
The rhetoric however, illustrated the gap still to be bridged between the theory and the practice of agreement. Sinn Fein continues to insist it was promised amending legislation which would bring the existing Police Act "up to the threshold of Patten" during the protracted negotiations earlier this year.
The party has maintained its view that Mr Peter Mandelson's original Act falls short of the Patten Commission proposals for the new Police Service of Northern Ireland. Mr Seamus Mallon, the deputy leader of the SDLP, said yesterday that some progress had been made on policing. Irish sources likewise indicate that Mr Blair appears prepared to "turn a page or two" on Mr Mandelson's Act.
Mr David Trimble appears equally confident he has an assurance that there will be no new legislation. Moreover, even if the IRA delivered a start to decommissioning, his colleagues Mr Jeffrey Donaldson and Mr David Burnside have publicly warned this should not be bought at the price of further "concessions" on policing.
Apart from calculations about Mr Trimble's ability to carry any additional strain on policing, it is unclear how far Mr Blair and his security advisers are prepared to meet Sinn Fein's demands for changes in respect of a range of issues.
These include accountability and the powers of the Secretary of State viza-viz the Policing Board; the powers of the Chief Constable; retrospective inquiries into past activities of the RUC; the retention of plastic baton rounds; the "political records", as Sinn Fein regards them, barring former prisoners serving in the police; the role of the District Police Partnership Boards and their ability to contract outside services; and the so-called Crossmaglen test by which Sinn Fein distinguishes between "Catholic", "nationalist" or "republican" acceptance of the new police service.
In addition, Mr Gerry Adams appears to have thrown a question mark over the capacity of the Independent International Decommissioning Commission.
In his speech in London on Tuesday, he said those who drafted the establishing legislation "ensured this would have the effect of strangling that body before it began" by failing to place its remit within the "conflict-resolution ethos" underpinning the Belfast Agreement.