FORMER US Senator George Mitchell was finally appointed to chair the Northern Ireland talks process early this morning after the Ulster Unionist Party dramatically split from their fellow unionists to accept a compromise proposal.
DUP and UK Unionist representatives immediately stormed out of the talks chamber and angrily denounced the UUP. "They are gutless unprincipled and a disgrace," said Mr Robert McCartney of the UK Unionists. "They have sold this country tonight as they have never sold it before said the Rev Ian Paisley.
The Tanaiste Mr Spring welcomed the agreement, saying that it had been very important to have Mr Mitchell installed in the chair. He said he believed Mr Trimble had behaved responsibly in the discussions he said. He called again on the IRA to call a ceasefire to allow Sinn Fein participate in the talks.
The Northern Secretary Sir, Patrick Mayhew, called the agreement "an extremely important turning point".
Mr Mitchell formally took the chair just after 12.30 a.m. after the Irish Government and the UUP agreed a formula to allow the talks to proceed after 21 hours of intensive discussions over two days.
The agreement was announced by Sir Patrick Mayhew at a plenary session of the talks.
Under the agreement Senator Mitchell took the chair immediately, and the parties present formally affirmed their commitment to the Mitchell principles of nonviolence. The governments and political parties over the coming days will discuss the procedures and agenda for the talks.
The two governments therefore got their way to the extent that Mr Mitchell has been appointed despite strong unionist opposition. The UUP however won the concession that the rules and procedures of the talks devised by the two governments will not be automatically introduced.
Instead, they will be discussed by the talks participants over the coming week with a view to reaching agreement. The Alliance Party leader, Dr John Alderdice, last night rejected suggestions that the chairman's, powers had been "emasculated".
Mr Mitchell pledged early this morning that he and his colleagues, Mr Harri Holkeri and General John de Chastelain who will chair parts of the talks process, will meet our responsibilities in a totally fair and impartial manner . . . We have no interest no interest whatever other than to help make possible that promising future for Northern Ireland.
The next plenary session of the talks will take place on next Wednesday, June 19th. However, it cannot move on through the agenda until the procedural issues are resolved.
Mr Trimble hailed this as a victory last night, saying his party had succeeded in ensuring the parties to the talks would control their procedures and agenda.
"We now have a procedures group to look at the procedures, with a blank page. The rules and procedures proposed by the two governments are not in force."
But Dr Paisley and Mr McCartney expressed their fury at the deal to reporters waiting outside, following which Mr McCartney stormed through a group of cameramen and journalists, knocking them aside as he left.
The UUP had breached an agreement not to break ranks with them, he said. "They have failed totally in their duty. I have never seen such naive and pathetic negotiating on behalf of the unionist people".
Both leaders were visibly incensed, but made clear that their parties were not permanently walking out of the entire talks process.
"We are not going to allow a document concocted by David Trimble and the Irish Government to prevent us from carrying out our duties on behalf of the Ulster people" said Dr Paisley. "We'll be back," said Mr McCartney.
The UUP deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, said the arrangement was "acceptable to the Ulster Unionists as the main unionist party in Northern Ireland, to the SDLP and to the southern Irish. Our initiative, which is also supported by some of the other loyalist parties, has brought a compromise that will mean the beginning of the talks."
The dramatic early morning agreement ended a marathon 16 hours of discussions at Castle Buildings.
Earlier yesterday the two governments and the Ulster Unionist Party tabled incompatible proposals for how to proceed. The day was taken up with informal meetings between the political parties, the governments and Senator George Mitchell which failed to bring the two sides closer together.
When the plenary session of the talks convened at 9 a.m. yesterday, the two governments proposed that Senator Mitchell be appointed as chairman, that the plenary meetings of the talks process proceed and that a rules and procedures sub committee be established to discuss in parallel how the process should proceed.
The UUP, DUP and UK Unionist Party immediately objected, however, and the plenary session was adjourned after less than 15 minutes.
The UUP then put forward the idea that the subcommittee be established to discuss the powers of the chairman and the rules and procedures of the talks. But until these issues were agreed by the committee, no chairman would he appointed and the substantive talks would therefore not begin.
The UUP also produced an amended version of the powers given to Sir Ninian Stephen, the chairman of Strand Two of the abortive 1991/92 talks process. They suggested that these guidelines, which would severely curb the powers proposed for Senator Mitchell, should be adopted.