Dr Mo Mowlam has described the British-Irish heads of agreement paper presented to the talks yesterday as a breakthrough and a kick-start for substantive talks, while Mr David Andrews characterised it as a road map for agreement.
At a joint press conference, the British Northern Secretary and the Minister for Foreign Affairs said the paper, "Propositions on Heads of Agreement", which outlines a possible British-Irish pact, offered a real opportunity for a political settlement.
Dr Mowlam said yesterday was a "good day" for the peace process. It was a "great day" for Mr Andrews. "These propositions are the two governments' best judgment of what might be the key elements of an overall agreement," said Dr Mowlam.
"We believe it strikes a fair balance. Each party will welcome some aspects, and be uncomfortable with others. That is inevitable if there is to be a fair agreement. Nothing is excluded by these propositions. The parties are free to put forward their own proposals," she added.
"No one should rush to judgment . . . Parties should not take firm views until they have had time to read and consider them carefully," said Dr Mowlam.
Mr Andrews said recent days had been difficult for the peace process; at times it had seemed at risk. Much of the work in creating the British-Irish document had of necessity taken place out of the public eye, but now the governments could present what was effectively "a road map to a new agreement".
The governments believed the paper contained the essential elements of any agreement. "The paper is an honest and courageous attempt to describe the structures in which agreement might be reached," Mr Andrews added.
He hoped every party would find elements they liked. "We believe that the propositions offer parity of comfort, and parity of discomfort. What we are hoping is that our ideas will provide a point of reference for all participants, which will allow us to immediately get down to the detail of a fully comprehensive and overall agreement," said Mr Andrews.
He and Dr Mowlam adopted different stances on a crucial element of the paper dealing with North-South arrangements. While the Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, viewed the proposed North-South ministerial council as coming under the umbrella of the proposed intergovernmental council, Mr Andrews said it "would be a stand-alone institution".
Dr Mowlam said she would not define the North-South body "one way or the other", as that only served to drive a wedge between the parties. It was one of a number of heads of agreement for the parties to negotiate and define.
Mr Andrews, in support of his interpretation, cited a joint British-Irish statement with the paper which says: "The new British-Irish Agreement will embrace both the inter-governmental council and the North-South ministerial council, which will operate independently in their designated areas of responsibility."
They agreed it was not a replacement for the Framework Document. "The Framework Document, the Downing Street Declaration, are still there. This is of a different status, designed to try and move the talks process forward," said Dr Mowlam.
Mr Andrews said the paper "followed the outline of the Framework Document . . . with additional innovations" but did not stick rigidly to the document. "I think overall the document offers a quantum leap forward in a very positive and qualitative fashion."
Dr Mowlam was convinced the parties wanted to make progress, but it was important that the parties had the time to assess the proposals. She and Mr Andrews believed progress could be made in "weeks rather than months". The paper meant politicians were getting down to specifics. "The devil is in the detail, and we will get down to it," said Mr Andrews.
The Alliance leader, Lord Alderdice, said the heads of agreement outlined the "kind of fair settlement that Alliance has been promoting through thick and thin over the last 30 years".
"For all the parties this package will have pain as well as comfort, but its closeness to Alliance's own blueprint means that for Alliance this document is all gain, no pain," added Lord Alderdice.
Ms Monica McWilliams, of the Women's Coalition, welcomed a new "positive and determined mood" among the talks participants. She said the violence of the Christmas and new year period had chastened politicians, and she hoped the paper would finally inject momentum into the process.
"The word `consensus' is finally beginning to seep into this process, and there is now the potential to wrap up this process by May," added Ms McWilliams.
