Former US diplomat Richard Haass is due to host resumed talks in Belfast aimed at solving some of Northern Ireland's most contentious issues.
Talks by the main parties on parades, the flying of the union flag and the legacy of past violence broke up without agreement on Christmas Eve.
But Dr Haass's quick return has brought guarded optimism of potential progress.
He and Harvard professor Meghan O'Sullivan hope to help leaders reach agreement by New Year's Eve.
- Master and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Oxford University
- Special assistant to US President George HW Bush from 1989 to 1993
- Principal adviser to US Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2001 to 2003
- Also President George W Bush's special envoy to Northern Ireland from 2001 to 2003
- Well acquainted with the political geography of Northern Ireland
- President of independent think-tank Council on Foreign Relations since 2003.
The pair, who were brought to Northern Ireland in July by the first and deputy first ministers, returned to the US for Christmas after talks broke up without agreement in the early hours on Christmas Eve.
Speaking at that time, Dr Haass said work done "politically and intellectually on contending the past is truly significant".
"I think also there has been important work done on the question of parading," he said.
"Yes, it's true that the work done on flags is quite disappointing by any measure but the other two areas, are I believe, quite impressive. I believe it would be a real shame not to turn that work into a reality.
"Let me be clear about this, we don't have an agreement. (But) in no way have we given up on the possibility of still reaching agreement before the end of the year."
Difficult issueTensions over flags were heightened in December 2012 when Belfast City Council voted to only fly the union flag from city hall and other council buildings on 18 designated days - previously it had flown continuously.
The decision was condemned by unionist politicians, and it sparked street protests, some of which were violent and led to the injury of more than 100 police officers.
BBC Ireland correspondent Chris Buckler said the parties seemed deadlocked over displaying flags and the issue was likely to be moved into a completely separate process.
Even with an extra few days of negotiation, achieving a deal on that particular issue would be a challenge, he added.
Dealing with the legacy and aftermath of Northern Ireland's Troubles is another difficult issue to resolve.
Unsolved murdersMore than 3,500 people died during the Troubles, and in almost 3,300 cases there were no prosecutions.
A Historical Enquiries Team (HET) was set up to investigate unsolved Troubles murders, but has itself proved controversial.
All political parties agree that the rights and feelings of victims should be at the centre of any process.
What the process should be, and exactly how a victim is defined, however, have proved almost impossible to agree.
Parades meanwhile, are usually connected to the unionist, or Protestant, community.
Most are organised by the Orange Order or other religious/cultural organisations, and the majority are not contentious.
But those that pass by, or through, nationalist areas, can be controversial.
Many nationalists feel that parading is an expression of historic unionist domination over nationalists in Northern Ireland.
Sinn Fein, the largest nationalist party, says that it does not seek to stop loyalists parading through nationalist areas, but that it should only happen after dialogue between marchers and residents.
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has said of the Christmas talks that "progress was made and agreement is possible".
Ulster Unionist Party leader Mike Nesbitt has said his party "accepts the ongoing challenge of seeking a fair and agreed outcome to the Haas talks".
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