The North's deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness met the Taoiseach in Tullamore this afternoon to discuss the current stalemate over the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont.
The meeting lasted for over an hour and afterwards Mr McGuinness said it had been useful and constructive.
He said both he and Mr Cowen agreed that there could be no preconditions on the transfer of Policing and Justice powers.
The issue is one which has caused friction between Sinn Féin and the DUP in the power-sharing Executive.
Mr McGuinness reiterated that what was required now was a date to be agreed before Christmas for the transfer to take place and for it to take effect early in the New Year.
Mr McGuinness said he had also registered his concern at the ongoing attacks by the First Minister Peter Robinson on the decision making processes agreed under the terms of both the Good Friday and St Andrews Agreements.
He said he was disappointed that Mr Robinson had thus far been found wanting in terms of the proactive leadership being called for and called on him to step up to the mark and to get the job done.
In a speech on Friday night in Derry, Mr Robinson called for immediate changes to the working of the Executive which could enable any three parties to make a decision.
He said the present system which allows the DUP or Sinn Féin to block anything they oppose encouraged stalemate and ‘party political point-scoring over good government’.
He also called for an ‘informal non-binding agreement’ between the Executive parties.
Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness had separate talks in London on Thursday with the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the policing and justice issue.
