Progress must be made to get Northern Ireland's political institutions back up and running now that the Westminster elections are over, SDLP leader Mark Durkan has told Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
"We need to get things moving. For a long time we heard that nothing could be done on the previous side of the elections.
"Now the elections are over, let's get things moving," Mr Durkan declared.
"Parties have got their mandates in the elections, but most importantly, there is still a mandate there for the agreement," he said after the meeting, which was also attended by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern.
"The implementation of the agreement, the restoration of the institutions gives the best opportunity for parties to exercise the mandate that they have got in a way which is responsible and which still respects the mandate that they have got from the Irish people," Mr Durkan said.
Following an hour of talks in Government Buildings, Mr Durkan said he was convinced that the Taoiseach "is determined to see progress made and is also determined to see standards maintained".
The SDLP leader rejected the argument that little can be done because the leader of the DUP, the Rev Ian Paisley, has said that the Good Friday agreement is dead and buried.
"Ian Paisley was encouraged to make claims about the agreement being dead because he was able to get some changes to the agreement in December, conceded by others. We said at the time that it was a flawed deal and that it would be a failed deal."
Mr Durkan said that has egged Ian Paisley on. He obviously feels, having got a third of the vote but half of the seats in Westminster, that a disproportionate result gives him the right to make disproportionate demands, Mr Durkan added.
"That is why the two governments have to be very clear. There can be no ambiguity about the fact that the agreement stands. In the context of the agreement, all parties can have their mandate respected," said Mr Durkan.
He appeared to concede that little will happen until the IRA gives a reaction to Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams's call last month on the organisation to acknowledge that a political route is open to republicans.
