An elated President Clinton hailed the Northern Ireland peace agreement as "the best chance for peace in a generation" but refused to take credit for his own efforts which apparently helped secure an accord when it looked likely to fail.
Speaking in the Oval Office yesterday, Mr Clinton looked fresh although he had spent much of the night receiving and making phone calls to Belfast up to 5 a.m. Washington time.
Late calls to the UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, and the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, led to a breakthrough in the talks, according to British officials.
Asked about his role, Mr Clinton insisted the credit belonged to the political parties and the two leaders, Mr Blair and Mr Ahern, and he paid special tribute to Senator George Mitchell's "brilliant and unbelievable patience".
Asked if an agreement would have been possible without his efforts, the President paused and replied: "I would not say there couldn't have been. I was asked to help and I did my best to help.
"I was talking to people up to eight, nine and even later this morning Washington time. They sat, talked, fought, argued and got back together and, for some of them, they put their political lives on the line. Others may have put even more on the line, as you well know. It is they and the prime ministers and Senator Mitchell who somehow kept it all together. They deserve the credit."
The agreement opens the way for a visit to Northern Ireland by President Clinton in mid-May when he will be in Britain for the G7 economic summit. But yesterday he refused to say whether he would visit Belfast during the referendum campaign. "This is not the day for thinking about that," he said.
He also denied reports that the agreement would mean a huge increase in US economic aid. CNN has spoken of an increase in the US contribution to the International Fund for Ireland from $20 million to even $100 million.
Mr Clinton said no aid was asked for and none was offered. But he believed there would be considerable economic benefits flowing to Northern Ireland if the peace agreement holds.
But he warned: "In days to come, there may be those who will try to undermine this great achievement, not only with words, but perhaps also with violence. All the parties and all the rest of us must stand shoulder to shoulder to defy any such appeals."
The President also pointed to yesterday's agreement as an example of what could yet be done in the Middle East. It showed that if there was a will for peace, then peace could prevail. "The lesson is, just don't ever stop."
The President, speaking from hand-written notes in front of his Oval Office desk, said: "After a 30-year winter of sectarian violence, Northern Ireland today has the promise of a springtime of peace." The agreement "opens the way for the people there to build a society based on enduring peace, justice and equality."
Mr Clinton came back from a fund-raising dinner late on Thursday night to find a call from Mr Blair waiting for him. At 12.30 a.m. on Friday morning (Washington time) he spoke to both Mr Blair and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, who were together.
It is believed that the two prime ministers asked Mr Clinton to communicate with Mr Adams on two specific issues, but the White House press secretary, Mr Mike McCurry, would not give details, and neither would Mr Clinton at his brief press conference later in the Oval Office.
The President then talked to both Mr Adams and the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume.
At 2.30 a.m. the President was woken up to have a long talk with Senator George Mitchell.
At 5 a.m. he was woken again by his national security adviser, Mr Sandy Berger, and talked on the phone with Mr Adams.
The President is believed to have encouraged Mr Adams to stay with the talks at a point where Sinn Fein was under a lot of pressure. Mr Adams is said to have been encouraged by Mr Clinton's pledge that he was going to "stay engaged" with the process right up to the referendum and beyond.
Then some hours later (Friday afternoon, Belfast time) the President was asked to speak with the UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, and Mr Adams again. British officials in Belfast said these conversations with Mr Clinton had "helped them to get a sense of how much people wanted this [peace deal] to happen."
Asked at his press conference about the effect of his phone calls to the Northern Ireland leaders, Mr Clinton said he had tried "to encourage and support the parties in the search for peace. That's all I did last night."
He said that "the specifics are not all that important. I was largely guided by the work of the two prime ministers. I had a very long talk with Senator Mitchell whom I will see early next week. I tried to do what I was asked to do."