The British and Irish governments have "many miles to go" in "the quest for peace", the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said at a dinner in honour of the British Prime Minister last night.
Describing Mr Blair as "a true friend of Ireland", the Taoiseach told the gathering in Dublin Castle the two governments had "travelled many miles together in the quest for peace, stability and reconciliation, both in the lead-up to the Good Friday Agreement and since then. We still have many miles to go. But we have come a long way - and I know that we are determined to keep on going until we have all finally succeeded."
The Taoiseach called on all parties to the agreement to "follow through on the logic of their commitments. It is not possible to get all the benefits of the agreement without shouldering all the obligations. Everyone needs to understand clearly than an armed peace is not what any of us signed up to." Mr Ahern said the two governments had worked together "not just on Northern Ireland issues, but on a whole range of mutual interests". He looked forward to building on this through the British Irish Council, "just as we look forward to developing North-South co-operation throughout the North-South Ministerial Council".
The Taoiseach acknowledged that in the past the two governments "appeared to have different interests and a different outlook regarding the European Union. Today, I sense a greater convergence, now that the grip of ideology both for and against European integration has been loosened".
Mr Blair said there was a unity of purpose among all the political parties here in pursuit of peace. "We have now in place a framework which will allow all people to live together peacefully" he said.