And it ignored the determination of the various parties not to be forced into taking unpalatable decisions. Already, a government deadline for the triggering of the d'Hondt process and the establishment of a shadow executive has come and gone, lost in the campaign for the European elections. Mr Ahern and Mr Blair will travel to Belfast tomorrow to meet the various parties and to kick-start this new phase of the process. They will assess the situation during the weekend and return to the North on Monday to receive Gen de Chastelain's report. A decision by the Parades Commission on the Drumcree march is also due at that stage.
Deadlines can help to concentrate minds.
But they can also threaten a fragile equilibrium.