The Taoiseach has indicated that he will bring further pressure to bear on the British government to move on the early release of loyalist prisoners. Mr Ahern was responding to remarks by the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), Mr David Ervine, who said it was "highly unlikely" that his party will be in the Stormont talks when they resume in the new year.
The PUP is the UVF's political wing.
Mr Ahern said he hoped the PUP would reconsider. "In Government, and in opposition, I have always advocated an active, enlightened and fully impartial attitude by both governments to the issue of politically-motivated prisoners in a peaceful context, without distinction as to whether they are loyalist or republican," he said.
"I have frequently raised the specific issue of movement on loyalist prisoners with the British government," the Taoiseach said. "There are no loyalist prisoners in the Irish Government's jurisdiction. If there were, they would also be equally eligible to benefit from earlier release."
In an implied criticism of the British government, he said that governments had to fulfil their functions and sustain confidence in the peace process until the talks reached a successful conclusion.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Bruton, said the threat of a PUP withdrawal from the talks was serious, in view of the "sufficient consensus" requirement laid down in the ground rules for reaching any agreed outcome.
The leader of Democratic Left, Mr De Rossa, also urged the PUP to reconsider.
The Ulster Unionist MP, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, also called on his party to reconsider its position in the talks. He said an "endless stream of concessions to republicans" was "completely overshadowing and undermining confidence in the main talks process".
But the Ulster Democratic Party, the UDA's political wing, said it will be staying in the talks.
Mr Ervine said his party and his community were "sick of being treated as second-class citizens" and the peace process was blatantly favouring republicans. Mr Ervine said he thought the PUP would leave the talks next month. The Government's decision to grant early release to IRA prisoners yesterday was "the straw which broke the camel's back", he said. "There is a dual process going on here - the Stormont talks and then the secret, surreptitious meetings which the governments hold and where the real decisions are made. The PUP has been kept in the dark for too long. We have been treated in a shabby and disgraceful manner," he said.
Mr Ervine said that the Stormont negotiations had become a charade: "On Tuesday, for example, there was a confidence-building meeting and we discussed the prisoners' issue. Everybody was full of Christmas cheer but nobody referred to the imminent release of any prisoners.
"Later on, I flew to Glasgow. Somebody rang and told me that nine IRA prisoners were getting out in the Republic. It was news to me. There were people at that meeting on Tuesday who had known all about it but hadn't even bothered to inform the PUP. They are attempting to make fools out of us. Sweeties are being handed out behind closed doors to keep certain groups happy."
He said his criticisms were not simply about the prisoners' issue. "There is much more to it than that. It's about control and the effectiveness of the talks.
"For example, the issue of policing seems to be being dealt with at Westminster, not at the Stormont negotiations. The PUP is not prepared to be left out of the loop."