The Minister for Foreign Affairs has said that he believes the deadline to restore power-sharing at Stormont is "doable" but he said he would not take it for granted.
Simon Coveney said he does not believe more time is needed and if parties want to make it happen, they can do it.
If the parties miss the deadline for agreement at Stormont they face the prospect of direct rule being reimposed from Westminster.
He said that what is happening this evening is a continuing conversation between the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin and that those discussions would continue tomorrow.
He said he hoped to be back in Belfast on Sunday.
He described today as "a good day" for discussions and said that by Monday afternoon there would be a need to get all five parties involved in the discussions.
Coveney says he believes deadline to restore power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland is 'doable' but he would not take it for granted pic.twitter.com/fYgDZa4h1b
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) June 23, 2017
Mr Coveney said the final deal will be difficult until details of the agreement between the DUP and the UK Convervative Party is revealed.
He said he was encouraged by today's "straight talking from all parties" in Stormont, adding "and I think we are down to business now which is where we need to be".
"We have a relatively small number of working days left to be able to get this done by the deadline. I think it's doable, but I wouldn't be taking anything for granted," added Mr Coveney.
However, the Alliance Party has warned that the crisis talks are unlikely to be resolved by next Thursday's deadline.
Party leader Naomi Long said progress to reach agreement between the main parties has been "incredibly slow".
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Speaking following a number of meetings between the parties at Stormont Castle today, Ms Long said, while there is "some hope" a government can be formed by the deadline of 29 June, it would be "wrong to be overly optimistic".
Ms Long also said negotiations between Democratic Unionists and the Conservative Party in Westminster was becoming a "distraction" from attempts to save Stormont.
She insisted the Alliance would not be signing off on any power-sharing agreement without knowing the details of a deal reached between Theresa May's party and the DUP.
Northern Ireland has been without a power-sharing executive since March and without a first and deputy first minister since January, when the late Martin McGuinness's resignation forced DUP leader Arlene Foster from her job as first minister.
The institutions collapsed amid a bitter political row over a botched renewable heat scheme.
The anticipated DUP/Conservative arrangement at Westminster has forced the UK Government to reject suggestions its commitment to act with impartiality in Northern Ireland, as set out in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, will be fatally undermined by any parliamentary pact.
