Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen warned last night (Monday) that now was not the time to play the political talks process along or seek to extract one concession too far.
The signal from Dublin yesterday was that patience is not endless and that the time has come for a quantum leap forward.
Mr Cowen emphasised that it will "have to be clear to all that all paramilitary activity and capability is being brought to a definitive end".
As far as both the British and Irish governments are concerned the negotiations are now completed and it will be up to the parties to respond.
There is no possibility of opening up another round of negotiations, such as Hillsborough mark 2, and it appears to be a 'take it or leave it' package.
However, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said the British government was aware of the issues that are outstanding and there needed to be a continuation of intense discussions.
Mr Adams said there were many issues to be addressed and, significantly, he raised the question of demilitarisation.
He said Sinn Féin had expressed their concerns to the Irish government about timeframes and the commitment that the British government was bringing to the process.
Mr Adams said there were challenges for all the political leaders and indicated that he would contact UUP leader David Trimble soon.
"We need to know are unionists committed to working this agreement. Thus far they haven't made that commitment," Mr Adams said.
Early next month Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern are due to return to Northern Ireland to publish the Hillsborough talks plan for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
In Dublin yesterday Secretary of State Paul Murphy and Mr Cowen met for talks.
Sinn Féin's Mr Adams and Martin McGuinness had talks with the Taoiseach.
Mr Cowen, in a reference to the war in Iraq, said that in the shadow of a global crisis the next few weeks may paradoxically be a time of great opportunity for the peace process on this island.
Speaking at the British/Irish Inter Parliamentary Body meeting in Kilkenny, Mr Cowen said: "The opportunity must be seized for the benefit of all the people of Northern Ireland and, also, to extend a light of hope to an international community that yearns for an enduring model of peace amidst the discouragement of war."
Mr Cowen said considerable progress had been made at the Hillsborough talks on a range of difficult issues including criminal justice, security normalisation, ending paramilitary activity, human rights and equality issues.
"There now exists a shared understanding about the broad parameters of an overall acts of completion deal, even if all parties are not signed up to every detail of all aspects," Mr Cowen said.
"Major steps are required of all sides if we are to achieve the quantum leap that is required to fully consolidate the agreement. Our collective level of ambition is great. This will require all sides to share the risks, the pain and the gain."
The Irish government's view is that it will have to be clear to all that paramilitary activity and capability is being brought to a definitive end and that the process of security normalisation is rapidly advancing.
Also, that the achievement of the new beginning to policing is being fully realised; that the criminal justice system is fully reflective of both communities; that the human rights and equality provisions of the agreement are being entrenched.
The aim is that the stop-start phase of the operation of the institutions must come to an end and that all parties are committed to fully and enthusiastically participate in the process.
SDLP leader Mark Durkan said that efforts needed to be made in the coming weeks to ensure the full implementation of the agreement.
"That, of course, means an end to all paramilitary activity," Mr Durkan said.
The SDLP leader said he hoped that the fifth anniversary of the signing of the agreement next month would be an occasion to "celebrate the fact that real progress has been made".
