Turkey called on US Secretary of State Colin Powell and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern to enlist their help in breaking a deadlock over Cyprus with fewer than five weeks left in a UN timetable to end the 30-year-old conflict with Greece.
With the clock ticking to strike a deal before the Greek Cypriot part of Cyprus joins the European Union on May 1st, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul called Mr Powell last night to ask for his aid, a Turkish spokesman said.
The deadlock already has forced the United Nations to revise at the last minute its deal for a united island to join the EU.
Without a deal, only the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot part will join the EU, representing the whole island. This could cement the island's partition and harm EU membership hopes of Turkey, a NATO member and key US ally on Iraq.
Mr Gul and other Greek and Turkish negotiators are closeted with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at a secluded Swiss alpine resort trying to hammer out an elusive deal to end the partition of the island with its 800,000 population.
The source said Mr Powell assured Mr Gul the United States understood Turkish concerns about protecting their legal rights and autonomy in the UN peace deal under negotiation.