Hopes for the restoration of Northern Ireland's political institutions will be dashed until 2006 if progress is not made in talks this month, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern has warned.
Deliberately raising the stakes in advance of negotiations in Leeds Castle, Kent, Mr Ahern said the Government believed a short period exists in which to make progress. "We have a lot of the preparatory work done.
"Whether we can finish it at Leeds Castle, or around then, that is our agenda," he told journalists in Government Buildings.
The Taoiseach will hold a meeting next Friday week with the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair in advance of the Leeds Castle talks. He firmly rejected the view that the NI political parties could postpone decisions until the British elections are out of the way next May.
The Northern Ireland Assembly has been suspended since October, 2002, following allegations that the IRA had organised a spy ring from Sinn Féin's Stormont offices.
"We believe, as we head towards the first anniversary of the Assembly elections, that it is essential that we reach agreement," the Taoiseach declared.
"I don't go with any of this talk that we can put it off until the other side of the elections. Remember, the British EU Presidency lies on the other side of the elections. Tony Blair will not be in a position to give it attention in the second half of 2005. This is not realistic. I do not believe that (it is possible to try) to dodge decisions that we have spent a year discussing in the review.
"They can't be left aside any further. We know what they are. We have to get at it.
"All the speculation that we may not try, or that there might not be a way, or that it might be put back is, in my view, both nonsense and dangerous. And I don't agree with any of it."
Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Mr Paul Murphy and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen yesterday held another round of Stormont talks with NI political leaders.
Prime minister Blair's chief of staff, Mr Jonathan Powell also held separate talks with the DUP's Dr Ian Paisley, Sinn Féin's Mr Gerry Adams and the Ulster Unionists' Sir Reg Empey.
Despite doubts amongst the NI political parties that progress can be made, the Taoiseach pointed to a quiet marching season bar "one blip in the Ardoyne on the Twelfth".
"Even on that one people worked very hard. What the parties have been saying over the summer has been very helpful. People have been very constructive," he went on.
The Leeds Castle talks had to produce a clear timetable to get Assembly and NI Executive "up and running in a short term", even if restoration is not immediate.
In parallel with the Kent talks, the IRA must "resolve" decommissioning because the DUP will not "move on unless" that is concluded. "Paramilitarism will have to be brought to a finality. They are the main issues and policing," said Mr Ahern.
Holding firmly to this line yesterday, Dr Paisley said the Leeds Castle talks would go nowhere unless they resulted in the disbandment of the IRA afterwards. "Everything else depends on will the British Government show its power and deal with the armed gunmen in this province," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Ahern said the parties will have to agree on the devolution of powers to control the police from Westminster to the NI Assembly. "The big issue is on the devolution of policing."
Meanwhile, he pointedly rejected suggestions that he would accept changes to the roles of First Minister and Deputy First Minister: "No is the answer to that, no,"
