THE STORMONT parties with the exception of the Ulster Unionists reconvened for a fifth day of talks at Hillsborough Castle aware of significant public resentment at the lack of agreement.
Initial comments by some party leaders pointed to a possible breakthrough.
Alliance leader David Ford, a likely contender for the position of justice minister in the event of devolution, summed up the mood.
“The issue is, are the parties in this building going to engage in a manner that merits the involvement of the Taoiseach and prime minister for another further day? I hope they are. We are certainly committed to making that happen.”
He said it was his belief that the other parties recognised earlier in the week that they “stood on the brink of failure and they stepped back from that brink . . . Since then, we have seen significant constructive engagement and willingness on the part of parties over the past number of days.
“There is still significant work to be done today but I believe that, if that same willingness continues in the spirit of goodwill, we have the opportunity to create a new beginning for politics in Northern Ireland.”
SDLP leader Mark Durkan, also referred to the public mood: “We are on the threshold of a very big choice. Either we can go for completion of devolution or we can go for a complete mess, and people I believe out there want things to work,” he said.
Asked about the public anger on radio phone-in programmes he said: “I think the message from the public has gone inside that building all right . . . The public want a deal.
“I think it is perfectly possible, if everybody was prepared to move that little bit further, to get an outcome,” he said.
DUP leader Peter Robinson, added to anticipation that the talks were heading to a conclusion one way or the other. “You will not reach an agreement here today or any other day unless the parties that are here and talking are prepared to stretch, that’s what it comes down to.”
Accompanied by interim First Minister Arlene Foster, Edwin Poots and Nelson McCausland, he said: “Accommodation is what is the outcome of any successful negotiation process. People don’t get everything that they want and we recognise that, but there are key principles that have to be established.”
He insisted: “We want a deal that we can go out and sell to the community in Northern Ireland. I believe honestly that people do want to have a successful outcome and we will stretch and stay here until the very end to see if that’s possible.”
As he spoke amid snowfall outside the castle, members of the Sinn Féin delegation returned to Hillsborough from a party meeting. Republican sources spoke of a “defining day” for the process, suggesting that crunch decisions were finally being faced.
After a day of serious job losses, a development which has provided an edge to public anger at the failure to get an agreement among the Executive parties, the US special envoy, Declan Kelly, pointed to the serious economic consequences of political deadlock.
Mr Kelly, in an interview with the BBC, said a positive outcome from the talks was “tantalisingly close” and confirmed US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who visited Belfast in October, was maintaining close contact with the situation in Hillsborough.