The UUP and Sinn Fein leaders laid the blame firmly at each others' doors yesterday for the impasse in the peace process as a final round-table talks session next week emerged as a likely prospect.
During an intensive series of meetings yesterday, Irish and British ministers expressed determination to reach agreement on the outstanding issues, particularly the deadlock over details of police reform.
"As far as the governments are concerned we are determined to move this process forward," the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said.
Speaking before a meeting at Iveagh House with the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, Mr Cowen said they both believed "significant progress has been made on these discussions".
Dr Reid echoed Mr Cowen's suggestion of movement, saying: "We've made some progress. We have to continue to make progress as quickly as possible because the prize for all of us is so great and the consequences of failure are so awful."
However, the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, blamed Mr David Trimble for the impasse, accusing him of "acting illegally" in not allowing Sinn Fein Ministers to attend meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council. He also criticised the British government for not "facing up to its responsibilities".
He called twice for the "pro-agreement parties" to stick together under the leadership of the Irish Government to push both Mr Trimble and the British government to "live up to their responsibilities". His criticism of the UUP, however, indicated that his call to "stick together" was aimed at the Irish Government and the two Northern nationalist parties.
However, he denied he was concerned that the Government and the SDLP might not "stick together" with his party and maintained they all held the same position.
"The Taoiseach has made it very clear that he wants to see the full faithful implementation of the Patten report, and the SDLP has outlined its position very clearly," Mr Adams said.
"Every sane person wants demilitarisation and the Irish Government has raised these issues on a number of occasions, even in my presence," he went on. "We all want to see the arms dealt with, and the question of the integrity of the institutions is basic to the Good Friday agreement."
"What is lacking here is political will," and the British government must live up to its responsibilities.
"If all of the pro-agreement parties led by the Irish Government continue to focus and to push and to work to persuade the British government of what it should do then we will obtain and attain the objectives set out under the Good Friday agreement," he said.
He was prepared to go to the Sinn Fein organisation with a proposal to nominate members to the new policing boards, but only if he believed there would be "sustainable change" in the police force.
In a pessimistic assessment he added: "I don't feel in my bones that that is possible at this time. Do I feel it is possible at some time? Yes, if we all stick at it. I am prepared to stick at it."
However, Mr Trimble firmly blamed the republican movement for the impasse, saying it had broken promises given on the weapons issue.
"There was a promise made by the IRA on May 6th last year . . . and that promise has not been kept. Their failure to keep their promises is the sole cause of the problem," he maintained.
The talks were now focused on "the difficulties that are likely to arise in the event of republicans continuing to be in breach of their obligations and their continuing failure to keep their promises".
He called on the SDLP to appoint people to the new policing boards and said: "We hope very much that the Irish Government in that situation would be supportive of the SDLP if they were to move on this issue in advance of republicans, which I think is very much in the interests of the SDLP."
Mr Trimble also indicated that he would not be nominating the two Sinn Fein Ministers to attend next Friday's meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council, which is supposed to be attended by all members of the Northern Executive and the Cabinet.
As he arrived at Government Buildings later to meet the Taoiseach, Mr Cowen and the Minister of State, Ms Liz O'Donnell, the SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, supported the proposal for a roundtable meeting of the parties.
"I think it is an opportunity for each of the parties to know exactly what is being dealt with, how it's being dealt with and when," he said.