The absence of power-sharing government has focused minds in Belfast

No one has ignored the elephant in the room in Belfast but their approaches to chasing it have differed enormously.

Queen’s University has been hosting presidents, prime ministers and party leaders, marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

But instead of casting a dark cloud over the three-day event, the absence of power sharing at Stormont has focused minds.

President Biden, who visited Belfast last week, had already dangled the prospect of significant investment if there is stable government.

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One of his predecessors, President Clinton, who played an instrumental role in the agreement, has taken time to meet the party leaders.

The Democratic Unionists are currently boycotting power sharing over post-Brexit trading arrangements – the establishment of a border in the Irish Sea.

The party says the Windsor Framework – the UK government’s new deal with the EU – has not adequately addressed its concerns.

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was among those taking part in the final day of the Belfast conference.

Former prime ministers Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern topped the bill on day one, and their respective successors on day three.

Rishi Sunak and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar each came to make their appeal for a return to a devolved government.

But the starkest contrast in approach was not between the British and Irish governments but within the British government.

On Tuesday, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris risked alienating unionists, telling the audience: “Real leaders know when to say yes.”

Interpreting the comment as a direct challenge, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP said: “Berating unionists won’t solve the problem.”

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Just 24 hours later, Rishi Sunak chose a different course, adopting the same carrot-on-stick approach as President Biden.

He said he would use “the full force” of government to make Northern Ireland the best place to do business.

But the most poignant appeal of all came from Senator George Mitchell, the man who brokered the Good Friday Agreement.

Now aged 89 and undergoing treatment for acute leukaemia, he has described this as “a very special” return to Belfast.

“It is not a sign of weakness to resolve your differences by democratic and peaceful means,” he told the politicians.

“To the contrary, it is a sign of strength and wisdom,” he said, adding that it clearly reflected the will of the people.

If anything chases the elephant from the room, it just might be the palpably emotional appeal of one elderly peacemaker.

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