Talks will be held in Dublin today between the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, and the president of Sinn Féin, Mr Gerry Adams, as efforts continue to agree a package of measures to restore the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive next month.
Later, Mr Cowen will address the 68-strong British/Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body, which is meeting in the Ormonde Hotel in Kilkenny city for two days.
Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that the British government will move controversial amendments in the House of Commons this week to the Police Bill, which would allow ex-prisoners to sit on Northern Ireland district police partnership (DDP) boards.
However, the British amendments would only come into effect once the IRA and other paramilitaries have carried out "acts of completion" to the satisfaction of the Independent International Decommissioning Body.
District policing partnerships, which will meet regularly to lay down local policing priorities as well as to monitor the performance of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, are currently being set up in Northern Ireland.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, are expected back in Hillsborough early next month to present their final blueprint for the restoration of political institutions and decommissioning.
The Iraqi conflict means Mr Blair is under great pressure, although British government sources insist that he is still committed to Northern Ireland, despite his difficulties.
