Efforts to restore devolved government in the North have been stepped up following talks between the Taoiseach and Tony Blair.
The two men met for over two hours last night at Chequers, the Prime Minister's country retreat in Buckinghamshire.
They discussed holding fresh assembly elections but no polling date has yet been announced. Last night's talks were said to have gone well and to have been productive but nobody was expecting any major announcements.
Irish government sources said that Mr Ahern and Mr Blair were working on an agenda to restore devolved government 'over the coming months'.
Sinn Fein have been pressing for an election date this autumn but there is still no clear sign of that happening. There is now likely to be a couple of weeks of intensive talks between the two governments and Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists.
They must hammer out some form of deal within the next three weeks or so if there is to any real chance of holding new assembly elections before the end of this year.
Republicans want to see the Taoiseach exerting the maximum influence on Tony Blair to name a polling date now.
However British sources continue to make clear that an election will only be called when Mr. Blair feels there is a realistic chance the poll will lead to a viable executive at Stormont.
