The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, will meet in Downing Street today to review efforts to prevent the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive.
However, no major declarations are expected at this point. "We are essentially in neutral mode. We will be working right down to the wire with all the parties to get the Good Friday Agreement fully implemented," said an Irish source last night.
The two leaders will meet again on Friday on the margins of a gathering in Brussels of European Union leaders called to discuss the crisis provoked by the US terrorist bombings.
Irish and British officials met yesterday in London to consider the options available if the NI parties do not reach a deal on decommissioning before the deadline expires on Saturday.
If the parties fail, the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Dr John Reid, could opt for a second six-week suspension, an indefinite suspension, or call a new set of Assembly elections.
The latter option is increasingly unpalatable to all the NI parties, an Irish source believed last night. "We would not be alone in thinking that that would be the least attractive option. The majority does not think that the time is right for elections," he said.
Opinion divides sharply about what will happen between now and the deadline. Faced with US fury about last week's terrorist atrocities, Sinn Fein is under pressure to move.
Paying tribute to the outgoing SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, a government spokesperson said he had been lauded "most of all for taking risks".
However, the Ulster Unionists will not consider rejoining the Executive without some act of IRA decommissioning beforehand. On Monday, Dr Reid wrote to the party leaders requesting they make their nominations to the NI Police Board. So far, the SDLP is the only one to have put people forward. Last night, the Ulster Unionists met in Stormont to consider their position.
Interviews will be held over the next few days to select the nine independent members who are to join political party representatives on the 19-strong board.
The Northern Ireland issue will not be top of Mr Blair's agenda over coming weeks, the government spokesperson warned.
"There will be discussions in Brussels on Friday, but they will be pretty perfunctory. There won't be much time for anything else. Throw your mind back to the Kosovo crisis. That took up a lot of his time too," the spokesperson said.
The Government did not comment on the US envoy to Northern Ireland's warning to Sinn Fein on Monday that there would be "consequences" unless the IRA severed all links with the rebel FARC movement.
