Today delegates will take their places around a huge square negotiating table in a vast room on the fifth floor of Castle Buildings at Stormont. Former US Senator, Mr George Mitchell, the talks chairman, will sit at the head of the table flanked by the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Burke.
At the other end of the table will be Mr Gerry Adams and Mr Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein and the SDLP team, including Mr John Hume.
To one side of the chairman will sit a line of more minor political parties - the Alliance Party, Northern Ireland Labour, the Women's Coalition.
Facing the minor parties and at right angles to the chairmen should be the unionist groups, but, today there may simply be empty chairs.
Although the delegates and the talks chairman will agree an exact agenda, the early days will inevitably be dominated by the issues of consent and decommissioning.