This forced them steadily closer at the talks table to the main unionist political party, the Ulster Unionists, led by David Trimble.
He said there would be a further round-table talks in Belfast next Thursday.
If agreement can be reached at round-table talks, fresh legislation can be fast-tracked through the current synod, they insist.
BBC: Women bishops: Backers look to new general synod election
But he demanded "serious and urgent round table talks" between head teachers, the Department for Education, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to work out a way of giving sport greater prominence on the school timetable.
I've had a constructive dialogue, there are outstanding questions, we shouldn't hide that, the SDLP owned inquiries and a number of other areas but I think that what impressed me as an attendee for the first time at these particular round-table talks was the absolute commitment of everyone there to make this process work.
The woman who will sit at the table if talks re-start also spoke of new hope.
And he coaxed balking financiers back to the table when talks ran aground, they said.
Washington is also hoping for Pakistan's help in bringing Taliban leaders to the table for peace talks.
Without Jobs at the table, do talks with Facebook take a break as well, as Apple leaders regroup?
But both governments have shown they are willing to get back to the table, and talks are now resuming.
But Mr Cameron said that no resolution could provide the "political will" needed for lasting peace and called on both Israel and the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table for direct talks.
But Obama made scant mention of efforts to strengthen the political opposition and glossed over the year-long effort to bring the regime and opposition to the table for peace talks that broke down months ago and now seem dead in the water.
Obama, in fact, insists that Medicaid is entirely off the table in current budget talks.
FORBES: Sequester Shows Why States Should Be Wary Of Feds' Medicaid Expansion
Mohamed ElBaradei, who won the 2005 Peace Prize for his efforts to prevent nuclear energy being used for military means, said Obama deserved to win for his efforts to bring Iran to the table for direct nuclear talks with the United States.
Yet, the President continually proposes more tax increases on American companies, placing those on the table in the debt limit talks as well.
U.S., European, Russian and Chinese officials say their offer of talks with Iran is still on the table if Iran suspends controversial nuclear activities.
One new idea you bring to the table is the offer of direct talks.
The pressure is on RIM Co-Chief Executive JamesBalsillieJames Balsillie to quickly resolve his company's patent dispute with NTP , and now the maker of the popular BlackBerry wireless email devices has returned to the bargaining table and is engaging in settlement talks through a court-appointed mediator.
The players at the bargaining table have changed since the last contract talks.
No one at the table is optimistic about the upcoming unity talks, even though everyone agrees that unity is just what Lebanon needs.
Your Majesty, last year Jordan managed to break the impasse in the peace process by hosting the Amman talks, bringing Israelis and Palestinians together at the negotiating table.
But the vehicle for these negotiations is the talks led by the Vice President, and we feel that those talks have been productive, that the folks around the table in those negotiations have come to the table to do serious work, and we are optimistic that we can find common ground and produce a deficit-reduction package that Americans will support.
In the library, where weekly workshops, book clubs and talks are held, is a selection of beautiful Taschen coffee table books and must-reads including Vogue creative director Grace Coddington's autobiography.
And much more serious than that, because it affects the whole world, is his failure to put anything worthwhile on the table to help revive the moribund Doha round of trade talks.
Mr Trimble has been compelled to stay at the table by the desire of ordinary unionists to be represented in talks, plus his own belated awareness of Mr Blair's commanding position.
"Our offer for talks with Iran for them to stop their nuclear program have been on the table for a long time, " she said on Thursday.
Whatever assurances the Americans may have given Mr Netanyahu, it is likely, if the proximity talks stall again, that they will bring their own bridging proposals to the table or even launch a full-blooded plan of their own.
Mr Ban also called on Russia - a member of the stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programme - to help bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.
Those talks broke down over the control issue, but Santander has tried to lure them back to the table.
应用推荐