Northern Ireland's political dialogue continued its circular path yesterday as SDLP leader Mark Durkan met prime minister Tony Blair in Downing Street.
The SDLP held the two governments partly responsible for the continuing political stalemate; the DUP pressed Mr Blair to move ahead without Sinn Féin; and Mr Blair suggested that was a decision for the SDLP.
Following exchanges during Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, DUP MP Nigel Dodds welcomed Mr Blair's apparent willingness "to consider a way forward without Sinn Féin".
Mr Dodds said: "It is time for the democratic parties to move on as quickly as possible in light of the results of the recent general and local government elections which demonstrated that the vast majority of people support an exclusively peaceful and democratic way forward."
The North Belfast MP said: "There can be no fudge between democracy and terror, and the DUP is determined that stunts and statements designed to take the pressure off Sinn Féin/IRA will not succeed. The days of IRA words gaining them access to government in Northern Ireland are over."
Mr Dodds was commenting after Mr Blair had told SDLP MP Eddie McGrady there were two possible ways forward.
Mr Blair's preference remained a settlement inclusive of Sinn Féin, which demanded a complete end to all republican activities outside the law.
He told Mr McGrady the alternative was to find "a way forward without Sinn Féin, which actually depends on your party".
However, Downing Street confirmed last night that there was nothing new in the formula used by Mr Blair or in his seeming allowance of doubt as to whether the problem of continuing paramilitary and criminal activity by the IRA could be resolved.
"It is now clear what is the issue, how it is to be resolved," Mr Blair told Mr McGrady: "The only question is whether it can be."
British sources also confirmed they had as yet no indication that the SDLP was prepared to consider any alternative way forward likely to be acceptable to the DUP.
Speaking after his meeting with Mr Blair, Mr Durkan again presented the SDLP as the sole defenders of the Belfast Agreement. "We shouldn't be stuck where we are now with organised crime continuing from the paramilitaries and the democratic institutions (of devolved government) suspended."