The Tánaiste and Progressive Democrats leader, Mary Harney, is to hold talks with the Taoiseach in the morning to see if agreement can be reached between her party and Fianna Fail on a programme for government.
Speaking to reporters in Belfast this evening, Ms Harney said there were a number of issues on which the two parties had different views. She added that the Progressive Democrats would have to have an effective role in any new government as they had doubled their number of seats.
One of the Progressive Democrats negotiators, Tom Parlon, said that after 30 hours of talking, a number of sensitive and crucial issues still needed to be resolved and this could be done only by Mr Ahern and Ms Harney meeting in private.
Earlier, Seamus Brennan of Fianna Fail, said that substantial progress had been made and he believed a programme for government would be agreed between the two parties.
