The Democratic Unionist Party will today urge the British and Irish governments to reactivate the Northern Ireland Assembly while setting a time-frame for the cessation of the IRA as a paramilitary organisation.
This emerged last night ahead of today's Hillsborough summit at which the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, have promised to fast-track their demand for paramilitary "acts of completion" as the prelude to the return of a power-sharing Executive.
The DUP's deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, told The Irish Times this could only be achieved if Mr Ahern and Mr Blair specify their requirements of the Provisional IRA - in terms of the British-Irish Joint Declaration, weapons decommissioning and the ending of all crime - and set a time-frame for IRA compliance.
Without that, Mr Robinson suggested Northern Ireland could be facing a political stalemate extending beyond next year's expected British general election.
At the same time Mr Robinson opened the door for Dublin and London to make limited political progress immediately by signalling that he would be happy to see the Northern Ireland Assembly allowed to function at least "in shadow form" pending a resolution of these matters.
The DUP would prefer Dublin and London to accept its proposal to immediately devolve powers to an initially "corporate Assembly" operating on the basis of weighted majorities - or alternatively proceed by way of a "voluntary coalition" government including the SDLP, Ulster Unionists and Alliance, but excluding Sinn Féin pending the IRA's effective disbandment.
However, Mr Robinson observed that the first Assembly existed in shadow form - holding debates and monitoring the work of direct rule ministers - for the 16 months prior to the formation of the first executive in November 1999.
Mr Blair is known to have been impressed by the detail of the DUP's "Devolution Now" proposals. There have also been indications that London could be tempted by the idea of a voluntary coalition initially excluding Sinn Féin, if Dublin would back the SDLP in such a move.
Whitehall sources insisted last night this was not an issue for today's talks at Hillsborough, and that Mr Blair's focus remained on the need to secure an end to paramilitarism and restore a fully inclusive Executive.
Against that it is acknowledged in London that the question of Sinn Féin's possible exclusion will become more pressing if the IRA refuses to meet the demands of the governments in circumstances where Mr Blair and Mr Ahern are satisfied the DUP is prepared to share power.
Alternatively, Dublin could come under growing British pressure to accept the DUP's "corporate" Assembly model.