The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, today appealed for "patience and determination" to secure a European constitution deal as planned in mid-June.
After two days of fraught talks between EU foreign ministers in Brussels, he admitted there were differences on a wide range of issues but insisted he remained confident on securing a deal.
The pressure is on Ireland, in the EU presidency, to meet the deadline - or see the constitution talks collapse for a second time.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has been on a tour of key EU capitals, and frantic behind-the-scenes efforts are going on to turn the draft constitution into a document EU leaders can agree when they meet on June 18th.
As the ministers left Brussels with little sign of progress, Mr Cowen pointed out the meeting was the first ministerial session on the constitution in five months.
"There are some new people around the table. Obviously nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and it is very important for the foreign ministers to get a collective insight on these issues. . . . We need patience and determination . . . and I am happy that we are making progress."
Earlier, British foreign secretary Mr Jack Straw once more set out his government's "red lines" in the talks, insisting that the right of national veto must remain in EU decisions on taxation, foreign policy, social security, defence and the euro-budget.