The Taoiseach says there is no reason why talks on the return of powersharing between the parties in Northern Ireland should not be underway by next spring.
Bertie Ahern was speaking after talks with the British Prime Minister at Downing Street today.
Mr Ahern and Tony Blair both confirmed that the Criminal Assets Bureau and the UK's Assets Recovery Agency would continue to stamp out paramilitary criminal activity.
It was the first time Mr Ahern and Mr Blair met since the IRA announced the decommissioning of its weapons.
Ahead of the meeting, the Taoiseach said that he hoped today's talks would result in a blueprint that the two governments and all parties in Northern Ireland could work with.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin earlier, he said that after the success of the IRA's July statement and decommissioning, the two governments had to plan the way forward to re-establish the institutions in Northern Ireland.
Mr Ahern listed a number of essential items on today's agenda, including policing, difficulties faced by the Parades Commission, and the need to get an executive working again.
The Taoiseach said he wanted these issues addressed before Christmas.
He said the Independent Monitoring Commission reports of this month and January would indicate whether the ground was open for those discussions.
He said he hoped that would be the case, and said that in the meantime, he and Mr Blair would try to chart out the main areas of difficulty.
