A new and more intensive phase of negotiations, involving the Northern Ireland political parties and the Irish and British Governments, is scheduled to open at Stormont this morning under the three-stranded talks process. Given the mounting concern within the republican and loyalist communities over the slow rate of progress that has been achieved so far, all parties have an obligation to engage fully and in a realistic and constructive fashion in the search for an agreed settlement.
The leader of the SDLP, Mr John Hume, recognised the importance of the process during his party's annual conference at the weekend when he said there now existed a real opportunity to settle the historic dispute between unionists and nationalists. If they failed through lack of commitment or because of antagonistic outside forces, he warned, it would not be easy to restart the process because of the amount of political capital already invested.
The SDLP has never wavered in its commitment to democratic, peaceful politics in Northern Ireland and the party and its leadership have been extraordinarily successful in devising and imposing their own political agenda on the situation. As a party born out of the civil rights movement, its entire existence has been devoted to resolving the serious problems of a divided society. It was the SDLP that first proposed a three-stranded approach to the problem; that underpinned the Hume/Adams peace strategy leading to the IRA ceasefires and that worked unceasingly for the establishment of all-party talks. Constitutional nationalists in both parts of this island owe Mr Hume and his colleagues a great debt.
The party continues to encourage and to admonish Sinn Fein and the republican movement on the road to a peaceful settlement. As the second-largest political party within Northern Ireland, the role of the SDLP is crucial to any political settlement. Under the terms of the negotiations at present taking place, its acceptance of a three-stranded settlement would be regarded as "sufficient consensus" within the nationalist community. In spite of that, the party remains determined to include Sinn Fein - if that is at all possible - in a comprehensive settlement with the unionists. During the weekend conference, the need for an injection of realism by Sinn Fein into the negotiating situation was emphasised. The republican leadership should tell its members that a United Ireland simply was not achievable at this stage within the talks process, Mr Seamus Mallon said.
There are some other indications of political movement. The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Mr David Trimble, has indicated his willingness to meet the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in London. And he has spoken of the need "to have some straight talking between ourselves and the Irish Government and the SDLP." He has accepted that Sinn Fein has a contribution to make to the process and suggested face-to-face talks might be possible if Sinn Fein brought forward proposals "with a degree of realism". The two Governments have set a deadline of next May for the completion of the talks process. That may seem to be a long time away. But given the political gulf that divides the parties, the depths of suspicion that exist and the need to educate their followers in the realities of compromise, it may not be a day too long.