The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British prime minister, Mr Blair, have worked out the outline of a deal to break the political deadlock in Northern Ireland but will have just over a week to forge an all-encompassing agreement when they return to the North in early March.
Mr Ahern and Mr Blair both said last night they were "optimistic" a deal could be done after more than four hours of talks with the pro-Belfast Agreement parties at Hillsborough Castle.
They return to Northern Ireland on Monday, March 3rd, to try to finalise a deal with the parties, which gives them about ten days to complete the deal. St Patrick's week in Washington, which begins around March 13th, is viewed as the effective deadline for agreement.
If negotiations drag on much beyond that date it will be difficult to call Assembly elections for the scheduled date of May 1st.
The period to March 3rd will involve intense behind-the-scenes negotiations chiefly involving republicans, the Ulster Unionist Party and the two governments. Mr Ahern and Mr Blair are to meet in the coming days to set out a plan for those talks.
While this involves a very tight timetable the Taoiseach and Prime Minister believe it is achievable. "What we are about is facing people up to what exactly acts of completion means," said Mr Blair.
Reliable sources have told The Irish Times the British and Irish governments believe the chief elements of the agreement will involve:
• An IRA declaration that it is effectively standing down.
• A verification mechanism to confirm the IRA is no longer active.
• A timetable for IRA decommissioning running parallel with British army demilitarisation.
• Sinn Féin joining the Policing Board in return for further amendments to policing legislation and crucially the devolution of responsibility for policing and criminal justice to a restored Executive.
• A copper-fastened Ulster Unionist Party commitment not to unilaterally collapse the Executive.
Mr Ahern appeared confident the strict timetable would be met.
"We have agreed clearly, the prime minister and myself, what acts of completion mean. We are talking about a definitive end to paramilitary activity, targeting, the sourcing of arms. I don't think there is any ambiguity about that.
"We have also said we needed to finish the issues of normalisation, of policing, of human rights and equality. These are all important issues and we have to try to bring them to conclusion," said Mr Ahern.
Mr Blair added: "We have set aside time on March 3rd, by which time we hope we will be in a position to have a way forward agreed with the parties. . .I do believe the political will is there. That is why I remain optimistic."
Sinn Féin and the Ulster Unionist Party played down any sense of optimism. UUP leader Mr David Trimble and Sinn Féin MLA, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, said a great deal more was required to end the deadlock. However, Progressive Unionist Party leader, Mr David Ervine, was very upbeat.
Last night Mr Blair also announced a new stg£3 million community development scheme, primarily designed to give loyalists a greater sense that they are central to political developments.
