Business representatives called for progress in the peace process last night and said it was vital that the impasse over decommissioning was broken.
Sixteen people from seven organisations, calling themselves the Group of Seven, signed a declaration calling for movement from both sides. "It would be a tragedy if a society with such potential were to fritter away its chances and sell itself short", they said.
The group called on both sides to move simultaneously. "We would earnestly urge the parties to make the simultaneous leap forward now in whatever way they can mutually agree and thereby enable us, as a community, to prove ourselves equal to the opportunity created by the agreement."
The chairman of the group, Sir George Quigley, said that the statement was intended to make a significant contribution to the process over the next few days.
Members of the group, which was formed in 1996, include the North's Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Northern Ireland Economic Council.