13.04.1998
Extract from a report written by John Holmes, who was Principal Private Secretary (a senior official) to the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair on the final 72 days of negotiations,Tuesday 7 April 1998, Catalogue ref: Prem 49/412
Transcript
The situation looked bleak as we arrived in Belfast late on Tuesday afternoon. The decision by Mitchell to insist on including in the text put on the table late on Monday night two long unagreed annexes of issues for North-South co-operation had pushed the Unionists over the edge. They also found the sections on rights, policing, prisoners etc, which they had not seen before, too green for their taste. We therefore invited Trimble to Hillsborough immediately after our arrival, to allow him to explain at length his objections to the text. With the important exceptions of
the North-South section and decommissioning, these objections did not seem insuperable. As important, he still seemed interested in a deal.
In the light of all this we worked overnight on proposed amendments to put to the Irish the following morning.