The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, is ready to fly into Northern Ireland today for a joint meeting with the First Minister designate and Deputy First Minister designate, Mr David Trimble and Mr Seamus Mallon.
The Ulster Unionist leader and the SDLP deputy leader were elected to their new positions at the first meeting of the Northern Ireland Assembly in shadow form by 61 votes to 27, including a majority of both nationalists and unionists.
A final decision on whether to travel is to be taken by Mr Blair this morning. If he arrives he is likely to discuss the programme of work facing the newly-elected heads of the shadow executive which includes initiating a major restructuring of government departments from six to a probable 10.
Other challenges facing the administration are expected to be raised, including the timing of the first meeting of the shadow executive, which has been a disputed issue between nationalists and unionists because of the prospect of Sinn Fein participation.
Observers believe the growing crisis over Sunday's Drumcree Orange parade in Portadown, Co Armagh, is certain to come up. Behind-the-scenes efforts to resolve the dispute are still under way but if Mr Blair does not arrive in the North today it may be taken as a sign that these efforts are not proving fruitful.
Drumcree was debated in the Assembly last night following a lengthy wrangle over the composition of the Standing Orders Committee for the new body.
The Assembly will resume on September 14th and the expected location is Parliament Buildings, where the old Stormont parliament held its deliberations. The formal transfer of powers from Westminster, ending the Assembly's shadow period, takes place early next year and the body will decide then where to make its permanent home.
Yesterday's meeting took place at Stormont's Castle Buildings, location for the multi-party talks, and the debate on the election of Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon lasted almost four hours.
Immediately prior to the Assembly meeting, the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, announced to the media that he was not seeking the post of Deputy First Minister and that Mr Mallon would be the party's nominee. Mr Hume had given no indication of his intentions even to those close to him in the party. Mr Mallon was not aware of his leader's plans until yesterday morning.
The nominee of the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, for the position of presiding officer of the Assembly, the former Alliance Party leader Lord Alderdice, continues to hold the post on an interim basis. No proposals were made for either him or any other candidate to hold the position on a long-term basis and this will now have to be resolved in the autumn.
Contrary to the prediction of their political opponents, the parties opposed to the Belfast Agreement, the Democratic Unionists and the UK Unionists, took a measured approach to the new Assembly and there were no walkouts or attempts to obstruct procedure.
There were emotional moments as Mr Trimble and Mr Mallon responded to the motion for their joint election to the senior political posts.
Mr Trimble recalled how he had been only a few yards away when his fellow-unionist and academic colleague, Mr Edgar Graham, was killed by the IRA. "There are a number of people present in this room who have in the past done terrible things."
However, he stressed that because people had a past did not mean they could not have a future. The important thing was to establish that their commitment to the democratic process was irrevocable.
Mr Mallon said he felt a great sense of humility and "an awesome sense of responsibility". In an apparent reference to Sinn Fein participation in government, he said: "There will be no exclusions in this new arrangement."
There was a roll-call vote on the joint election of the two men. Sinn Fein abstained but all of Mr Trimble's Assembly party, including a number of reported dissidents, supported the motion.