As sporadic violence continued in Northern Ireland last night, the First Minister and leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Mr David Trimble, was pursuing a fresh initiative aimed at breaking the deadlock over Drumcree.
Mr Trimble had a series of meetings and telephone discussions throughout the day in an attempt to break the impasse.
These included face-to-face talks with senior Co Armagh Orangemen, including Mr Denis Watson and the Rev William Bingham, in Portadown, with the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, and her Security Minister, Mr Adam Ingram, in Belfast, and with the Church of Ireland Primate, Dr Robin Eames, in Armagh.
He also had contact with Downing Street officials, although a report that he spoke with the Prime Minister was denied. "We're exploring all the options", a senior UUP source said. The behind-the-scenes efforts continued as loyalists put up roadblocks in Belfast and elsewhere in the North.
In Belfast, loyalists launched gun attacks on the RUC as a fresh wave of violence erupted late last night. Shots were fired at the police in the Village area and in the Duncairn Gardens area of north Belfast. A police patrol on Crumlin Road also came under automatic fire shortly after midnight. There were no reports of any injuries.
In Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, two devices were thrown at the home of an RUC officer at about 11.30 p.m. One of the devices exploded, but no one was injured.
Earlier, a blast-bomb was thrown at a police patrol on the Shore Road in north Belfast, where up to 150 masked youths clashed with the security forces.
At Hillsborough, Co Down, up to 1,000 Orangemen gathered last night outside Dr Mowlam's official residence. After the majority had dispersed a smaller group vowed to maintain a presence until the Drumcree parade was allowed down the Garvaghy Road.
At Drumcree last night over 4,000 Orangemen marched to the church. About 300 remained there overnight.
Up to 4,000 Orangemen representing the county lodges of Derry and Fermanagh are due to parade to the Drumcree church this evening in a show of support for the Portadown District Lodge.
Mr Trimble's attempts to find a solution took place against the background of the Parades Commission's decision to allow Orangemen to march down Belfast's Lower Ormeau Road, an issue which has caused major controversy in the past.
UUP sources said Mr Trimble was motivated by concern about how the situation was going to develop and by anxiety to bring about a speedy resolution. UUP sources, however, were not optimistic that there would be a positive outcome.
Contacts close to Mr Trimble said the wrong interpretation had been put on a Daily Telegraph report about the difficulties created for the First Minister and the Belfast Agreement by the Drumcree stand-off. The notion that Mr Trimble would resign as First Minister was dismissed as "an unfortunate spin" by UUP sources. "The main point is, if the parade doesn't go down the road, the political process will be damaged."
While UUP sources stressed that the Drumcree parade would have to go through, the idea of a community or civic forum to address issues of concern to the Portadown community as a whole was being closely examined.
Contact by an intermediary of Mr Trimble with the Mr Breandan Mac Cionnaith, the spokesman for the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition, took place last week, but on that occasion the First Minister complained that Mr Mac Cionnaith was being intransigent.
The idea of a community forum has also been put forward by the nationalist residents, but as part of a five-point plan which included a rerouting of the Drumcree parade away from the Garvaghy Road.
Both governments were continuing their efforts to reach a solution, but Dublin sources said there had been little progress so far and expressed disappointment at the absence of a local accommodation between the two sides. They said the Garvaghy Road residents "wanted the respect that comes from dialogue". However, there were no indications last night that a meeting of Orangemen and residents was on the cards.
Last night, Dr Mowlam announced that she had begun a "further review" of the cases of James Fisher and Mark Wright, the two Scots Guardsmen who have been serving life sentences since 1995 for the murder of a teenager, Peter McBride (18), while on patrol in Belfast in 1992.