"We need to take the courage of our convictions and now push and accelerate forward this process as quickly as we can," the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen said today.
"That involves people taking quantum leaps in accelerating this agreement," Mr Cowen added.
He was speaking following his "constructive" meeting with the SDLP leader, Mr Mark Durkan, at Iveagh House in Dublin.
Mr Durkan arrived in Dublin with a mandate from his party to revive the political process and to insist on an end to paramilitarism following the SDLP party conference in Armagh at the weekend.
"Quite a number of political parties have taken risks and made a contribution over the whole life of this process. Those parties owe it to themselves to play their fullest role in upholding the agreement."
Mr Cowen invited all parties to come forward with proposals so the Irish and British Governments can provide a momentum and direction to return to the implementation of the Belfast Agreement.
He described the Belfast Agreement as "the basis by which we can achieve political progress, it does provide the best prospect for political stability, there is no real alternative available."
"Now lets get on with it and implement it [the Belfast Agreement] in all its aspects," Mr Cowen concluded.
