Stormont officials today said the visit to Brussels by Northern Ireland's First and Deputy First Ministers was a success, despite the simmering row that had threatened to overshadow it.
Ulster Unionist Mr Jim Nicholson accused the Executive of failing to consult him and his two fellow MEPs over the North's new Brussels office.
But as Mr David Trimble and Mr Mark Durkan ended their visit to Brussels by meeting the president of the European Commission, Mr Romano Prodi, an Executive spokesman told PA News: "Ultimately it has been a good visit. I don't think the Jim Nicholson episode actually hurt the visit.
"It hasn't cast a shadow in any way on the trip. This is about building relationships and Jim Nicholson as an MEP is a key stakeholder for us," he said.
Mr Nicholson had claimed more of Europe's major political players would have accepted invitations to last night's official opening of the office if the Executive had used the experience and contacts of the three MEPs.
But this was dismissed by the spokesman. "The fact that we had five commissioners at last night's reception was remarkable. "Most European insiders would say that's almost unheard of. Other regional offices don't get that degree of patronage by serious people," he said.
During a 30-minute meeting at the headquarters of the European Commission today, Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan thanked Mr Prodi for his help in securing funding packages.
Mr Trimble said: "We have been through some difficult times and while there are still obstacles to overcome we are hoping for a stable period to allow the devolved institutions to bed in".
After they return to Northern Ireland this evening, the two men are going straight on to a flight to New York. They will spend the weekend discussing the peace process at a major conference run by the World Economic Forum in New York.
PA