I attracted negative comment for saying that the two Governments were attempting to act as honest brokers and was reproved for using that phrase. It was suggested that a different role was envisaged for the Dublin Government, that of being an unswerving ally of one side of the process. This political generosity and willingness to compromise was needed at the time to sustain the position of other participants in what would have been the immediate re-establishment of the Executive's institutions in Northern Ireland. A great opportunity was lost then for very little. In retrospect, some people may regret that we focused then on convincing each side that it needed the other until, like the two halves of an arch, they would lean against one another to bring about political transformation in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, an overly adversarial approach was adopted, and to borrow Senator Mansergh's point, the "zero sum" mentality overshadowed what could have been a clear and unequivocal verbal formula to effect a transformation that would have put us in a much healthier and stronger position than we are in today. Our present position is not by any means hopeless because the people have spoken in Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement provided internally for a review of its terms which must proceed.