The main pro-Belfast Agreement Northern political parties were yesterday considering proposals for a deal put to them by Dublin and London officials after months of hard negotiation. The deal centres on issues of policing, demilitarisation, arms and Sinn Fein at North-South meetings.
Tomorrow night the Taois each and British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, will consider the responses to these proposals from Sinn Fein, the SDLP, and the Ulster Unionist Party. Those responses will determine when and whether Mr Ahern and Mr Blair will return to Hillsborough or Stormont to put their seal to a settlement.
The politicians are advising caution but none the less the framework for a deal is becoming clearer. Mr Mandelson, before his unexpected departure from office, conceded the principle of dismantling the British army watchtowers in south Armagh.
That will require the IRA putting into effect its statement of last May pledging in the proper context to put its arms verifiably "beyond use". Some unionists harbour the suspicion that the right "context" refers to a united Ireland, but former IRA prisoner and now senior Sinn Fein figure Gerry Kelly recently said the reference was to the full implementation of the Belfast Agreement.
Demilitarisation and arms disposal involves a two-step approach from the British army and the IRA. The first move probably must come from the British followed by IRA action. There may be incremental, reciprocal gestures. Perhaps two watchtowers dismantled, an IRA bunker or two concreted over, followed by more clear mountains in Armagh and more IRA dumps rendered unusable.
Movement on arms will require the IRA re-engaging meaningfully with Gen John de Chastelain's decommissioning body. It will be for the IRA and the general to work out the modalities. But re-engagement should lead to David Trimble lifting his ban on Sinn Fein ministers attending North-South Ministerial Council meetings.
The Belfast High Court is today due to rule on Sinn Fein's application to have this ban declared invalid. This could prove an unfortunate distraction but one senior Ulster Unionist was unperturbed. "Whatever the decision, it can be appealed by us or by Sinn Fein," he said. It would still be for the politicians to sort out the problems, not the courts, was his view.
Policing seems to be a bigger problem than arms, but here again there are signs of progress. British and SDLP sources believe the SDLP concerns on issues such as inquiries, the Special Branch, and the closure of Gough barracks will be resolved.
The big difficulty, and also the big prize, is persuading Sinn Fein, and the SDLP, to sign up to the proposed police reforms, without further alienating unionism.
In the past week or so British officials have been working with Sinn Fein to try to narrow the gap between them. It's a question of the devil and the detail. Gerry Adams has been complaining in recent days that the reform package fails to meet republican concerns about accountability. Informed sources, in turn, have been saying the scrutinising power of the policing boards could be enhanced without having to amend the legislation. Sir Ronnie Flanagan in an interview with this paper said he had no difficulty with that as long as it did not impair his "operational responsibility".
There is also mention of a review of the implementation of the Police Act, in perhaps a year or two. Sinn Fein is playing hardball on policing but with further fine-tuning it is still possible that republicans could be persuaded to test, if not to embrace, the reform package.
There are several reasons why Mr Ahern and Mr Blair should be able to enjoy their dinner tomorrow night. There is always the danger, though, that the absence of political reason could, at the last minute, frustrate the chances of an agreement.
Some talks insiders were warning that the negotiations might have to continue into next week before it is clear that a deal is possible.
The British and Irish governments, the SDLP, Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists know politics is the art of the possible and that if they can't settle this, their political artistry will be called into question.