Peter Robinson was accompanied by DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodd in the discussions with Brian Cowen and Micheál Martin.
A Sinn Féin delegation headed by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness held separate talks later.
The parties gave their account of why all meetings of Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive have been postponed in recent months.
Since before the summer Northern Ireland's power-sharing government has been in dysfunctional mode.
The DUP is holding back on giving a date when it will support the devolution of responsibilities for justice and policing from Westminster to Stormont.
Sinn Féin is saying it will block all government meetings until the issue is resolved.
