Supporters of the peace process took heart in this week's developments in Northern Ireland. Eleven weeks ago, former US Senator George Mitchell revived his role as mediator and conducted a review of the peace process, which was stalled in mutual recriminations and acrimony. The central issue was, and remains, decommissioning, the surrender of arms by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Loyalist paramilitary groups. The majority Ulster Unionists, led by First Minister David Trimble, have refused to form an executive including Sinn Fein, as envisaged by the 1998 Good Friday peace accord, until the IRA has begun to surrender its weapons. Sinn Fein, led by Gerry Adams, has argued on the one hand that they cannot control the IRA, and on the other that the accord does not stipulate decommissioning as a prerequisite for forming the executive, an essential step before the establishment of a devolved administration in Northern Ireland. Not least among Mitchell's many accomplishments is the fact that Adams and Trimble, who previously could hardly be convinced to sit in the same room, now appear to have a comfortable working relationship, evidenced by mutually conciliatory statements each made this week. The potential breakthrough came on Wednesday, when the IRA indicated for the first time that it is willing to discuss disarmament and that it will appoint a representative to the disarmament commission led by Canadian General John de Chastelain. This would occur on the same day that an executive including Sinn Fein was formed. While Trimble secured support for the deal from his party executive today, he still faces a very tough sell between now and November 27, when his party's 860-member party council meets to approve or reject the compromise measure. The sites listed provide updates on the continuing peace process.