The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, have strongly indicated that they expect the IRA and loyalist paramilitaries to sign up to the deal hammered out at Hillsborough Castle over the past two days of intensive and nervous talks.
The two governments are today due to present the pro-Belfast Agreement party leaders with a joint letter setting out how and when the various elements of the agreement such as police reform, demilitarisation, and human rights will be implemented.
They also strongly indicated that, subject to a positive response from the paramilitaries, they expected all the pro-agreement parties to endorse the new accord.
Mr Ahern and Mr Blair indicated they wanted the paramilitaries to answer the key question contained in the joint statement from the governments last night: that the paramilitaries would "urgently state clearly that they will put their arms completely and verifiably beyond use".
The implicit and crucial question in the statement deals with one of the issues that has dogged and stalled the process for so long: would the IRA put its weapons beyond use? There is no evidence however of the paramilitaries being asked to say when weapons would be put beyond use.
The Taoiseach said he expected the proposals designed by the two governments in consultation the pro-agreement parties, primarily the Ulster Unionists, Sinn Fein, and the SDLP, would allow the Executive, the Assembly and the institutions of the Belfast Agreement to be up and running again by Monday fortnight, May 22nd.
Mr Ahern said the governments had put their best efforts into devising proposals that would end the stalemate over paramilitary arms and restoring the institutions. "I hope they will create the basis for the institutions to be up and running later on this month. I think that they will," he said.
The Taoiseach praised the pro-agreement parties for their commitment "in trying to finalise what we thought we had finalised perhaps two years ago".
"I look forward to seeing the institutions up and running in the next few weeks and I look forward to a very positive response. I would be very disappointed if the response of the paramilitaries is not extremely positive," added Mr Ahern.
"The Prime Minister, Secretary of State and my colleagues have done all we can to try and make sure that that should be the case. But it is over to others as this is an inclusive process and others have a contribution to make to it. And I do hope that that contribution is extremely positive," he said.
Mr Blair said that subject to a positive response to the proposals put forward by the two governments it was the intention of the governments to reinstate the institutions on May 22nd.
"It is now incumbent on the parties and perhaps equally the paramilitary organisations to give their response to the proposals we have made," he said. "I hope that the response is positive, and that in particular we can make sure that the arms issue is dealt with completely and verifiably."
Mr Blair added that he hoped they could deliver ` "for all the difficulties, for all the turbulent times we had, a decent and lasting settlement."
