The Taoiseach Mr Ahern and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair have repeated their calls for a complete end to paramilitarism in Northern Ireland and emphasised the need to speedily conclude the current review of the Belfast Agreement.
At tonight's meeting in Dublin, Mr Ahern said there must be "an end to paramilitarism in all its forms and equally we want certainty and clarity that we have all the institutions behind us".
He stressed the need to "move on at pace" with the review of the agreement.
"It is our intention that immediately after the St Patrick's break to move on and engage the parties within the review and try to achieve this as quickly as we possibly can," Mr Ahern said.
Mr Blair said he had noticed a "genuine willingness to share power among all the political parties" and added that "we will try and make progress as swiftly as possible."
Repeating the need for a speedy conclusion to the review, Mr Ahern insisted that as it was nearly six months since the Assembly elections there was a danger that the parties would "allow the positions drift".
Mr Blair said that paramilitaries must disarm in a way that "has to be definitive and has to be clear. If that is done then it is my understanding that both the unionist parties are willing to go back into Government."
"Everybody is saying there should be an end to violence of all descriptions but we've got to make sure it happens. It's not actually a very complicated task. Everybody knows what needs to be done and it really is a matter of us making sure people understand that is the situation," Mr Blair concluded.
When asked about the apparent problems between the Government and Sinn Fein, Mr Ahern answered by referring to the Tohill kidnapping by the IRA last week, "I want to get away from the position of people having a drink on Friday and getting 92 stitches because of political violence".
