The Independent Monitoring Commission's report on paramilitary activity is an "encouraging boost" to the peace process and "comes at a crucial time", according to the Taoiseach.
Bertie Ahern urged the DUP to talk directly to Sinn Féin and said, "I do not want to be the meat in this sandwich. I have been doing it for a long time. The more Sinn Féin and the DUP can smile at each other in the Assembly and talk to each other nicely, the easier my life will be, because I will not be in the Assembly."
He did not want to have to deal with a very unsatisfactory position after November 24th, the deadline set for the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive.
"The date is not being used to threaten anyone. The reality of the situation is that it cannot go on as it is at present. Politicians in Northern Ireland understand that as well as I do," the Taoiseach said.
He told Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Sinn Féin's leader in the Dáil, that "I would be the happiest person in the world if the DUP, Sinn Féin and all the other parties were to follow the normal arrangement by trying to work and get on together in the first six weeks", after May 15th, when the Assembly reconvenes.
Mr Ahern said that the greatest difficulty he had while in the US "was to try to make people understand how people who had been elected to an assembly and an organisation for over four years had not met during that time, despite all the progress that had been made".
The "most positive IMC report to date", published yesterday, stated that the commission was "not aware of current terrorist, paramilitary or violent activity sanctioned by the IRA leadership", and that the leadership "continues to seek to stop criminal activity by its members and to prevent them from engaging in it", said Mr Ahern.
He added that while there was an inevitable focus on the Provisional IRA, the document "also reports on the activities of loyalist paramilitaries and is a timely reminder of the ongoing threat posed by dissident republican groups".
He told Labour leader Pat Rabbitte that there was "no doubt that a partnership arrangement dealing with all the issues could well be achieved but it is certainly not what I want to put in place".
The IMC document was "always going to be an important report because while the last one was positive, there were a few areas which created concern".
He added that "we must continue to focus on some of the loyalist paramilitary activity which is not too positive and on what has been said about dissident republicans, particularly the Continuity IRA".
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny noted the IMC's opinion that the proceeds of IRA crime might be used as a "strategic asset" in the 26 counties. Mr Ahern said the IRA had built up a "considerable asset base over the past 30 years". The Criminal Assets Bureau and other agencies had very strong powers to deal with this.
