Simple survival, that most basic of instincts, has pushed the Northern parties forward once again. Sustained encouragement by the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister in bilateral and round-table negotiations with the pro-Agreement parties at Hillsborough Castle has produced interim measures intended to buttress the Belfast Agreement from political attack during the course of the British general election.
The agreement announced by Mr Ahern and Mr Blair after 12 hours of talks on Thursday is limited in content and purpose. Yet, the most significant aspect, at this juncture, is that agreement has been reached at all. The joint statement, issued by the two governments, emphasised their commitment to the continuance of the power-sharing Executive and the other institutions, in spite of a failure to reach detailed agreement on decommissioning, demilitarisation and policing. They expressed optimism that the outstanding issues could be resolved over the coming months. And they were encouraged in that view by positive statements issued by the various party leaders.
The announcement by the two governments was preceded by statements from the IRA. The first said the IRA had decided to re-enter discussions with the decommissioning body "as an earnest of our commitment" to the peace process. The second stated that an IRA representative had been in touch with the body to inform it of its intention to enter into further discussions. The sum of the statements, however, merely returned the IRA to the position it had outlined last May. On that occasion, it gave a commitment to "completely and verifiably put arms beyond use". It also agreed to the regular inspection of a number of its arms dumps by Mr Cyril Ramaphosa and Mr Maarti Ahtissari of the decommissioning body.
The interim deal presided over by Mr Ahern and Mr Blair is a far cry from the ambitious "construct" designed to bring finality to all the outstanding issues that was enunciated by former President Clinton during his visit to Ireland before Christmas. At that time, a "maximum agreement" that would comprehensively address the recurring controversies of security normalisation, decommissioning and policing, was being discussed. The grand plan anticipated an order by Mr Blair to dismantle military installations in Crossmaglen in return for a meaningful engagement by the IRA with the decommissioning body, leading to a time-frame for putting arms verifiably beyond use. The SDLP and Sinn Fein, in turn, would nominate members to the Policing Board - the first step in a process to have 50:50 recruitment of Catholics and Protestants to the new Police Service of Northern Ireland.
That has not happened. But with a British general election likely to be held in May, the limited progress achieved will allow the institutions established under the Belfast Agreement to continue functioning. The pro-Agreement parties may not have resolved their differences. But they have made common cause in defending the political advances already secured under the Belfast Agreement and in advocating further negotiations. That, in itself, is progress.