Extract from a report written by John Holmes to Tony Blair, Wednesday 8 April 1998

Transcript

A frustrating period followed, with no real negotiation underway on the key fronts. Ahern did not get back from Dublin until the early evening. Until he had approved the Strand 2 text negotiated earlier, so that we could prove to the Unionists that the Irish really were up for serious change, the process was effectively stuck. When he eventually did arrive for a bilateral with the Prime Minister, the initial atmosphere was chilly, because the Irish mistakenly thought we had been trying to negotiate with Mitchell behind their back over policing and decommissioning. Apologies from the Prime Minister quickly restored relations, and Ahern confirmed he was ready to sign up to the paper on Strand 2, contingent on the Unionists being ready to do a reasonable deal on other issues, notably Strand 1.