The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has said the British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair will have to fight again to defend his so-called "red lines" on foreign policy, tax and defence under a proposed EU constitution. Mr Ahern added that if talks dragged on it would become ever harder to reach an agreed text.
Speaking at a press conference today, Mr Ahern said the only texts the Irish presidency would recognise were the constitution text drawn up by a 105-member Convention of lawmakers and amendments to that set out by the Italian presidency at a summit in Naples in November.
"We have nothing more," Mr Ahern said. "While there were a lot of talks, there was nothing on paper."
Asked specifically if this meant Blair's belief that his red lines would be respected was wrong, he replied: "The reality of the situation is that there are only two texts, the Convention and Naples."
He added that Ireland also had its own red-line issues and they too might come under scrutiny during further negotiations.
Ireland has been mandated to consult with member states and report back to the European Council of EU leaders in March on the prospects for agreeing a new constitution, and Mr Ahern said it was vital work should proceed quickly.
As president of the EU, Ireland will now preside over negotiations on the constitution following the collapse of talks to finalise it under the Italian presidency in Brussels last month.
The constitution is designed as a rule book to allow the bloc to function smoothly when it expands in May from 15 members to 25, but negotiations to adopt it broke down when some states, chiefly Poland and Spain, could not agree on the weighting of voting rights among members.
Mr Blair had told the British parliament in December, after the talks broke down, that he believed there was a consensus that Britain's red lines, or non-negotiable policy areas, would be respected.
Mr Ahern said if talks dragged on, it would become ever harder to agree a text. If Ireland could not end the wrangling, it was unlikely to be agreed during the Dutch presidency starting in July, and even less likely under Luxembourg's presidency in early 2005, he said.
He said he was determined to try to wrap up the talks during Ireland 's term.
"I'll do my best," he said. "But sometimes it's possible to finalise, and sometimes it's not."