The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has adopted a tough stance against the activities of the Provisional IRA, while distancing himself from calls to suspend Sinn Féin from the review of the Belfast Agreement.
Mr Ahern made an apparent threat to take action against Sinn Féin if further Provisional IRA operations were carried out. He later warned the Sinn Féin chief negotiator, Mr Martin McGuinness, that the apparent kidnapping of the dissident republican Mr Bobby Tohill would undermine the political process.
"The Government resisted the exclusion policies because we do not think they would work either, but that line cannot be kept forever," Mr Ahern said in the Dáil.
"However, it is now almost 10 years since the first ceasefire and seven years since the second. It is time to bring these activities to an end. Otherwise more people will be killed and injured."
Hesaid the Northern Ireland security forces believed they had intercepted a Provisional IRA attack and saved Mr Tohill's life.
"The events of last weekend brought into clear view what the Government has felt for some time about many of these paramilitary attacks," Mr Ahern said.
"The security forces believe that he would have been transported across the Border and executed." He added: "Some people even say pressure is put on paramilitaries to engage in policing activities. I do not believe this was the case last Friday, but it has been so in other incidents."
The Taoiseach was speaking ahead of a meeting in Dublin last evening with Mr McGuinness. The Sinn Féin leader said afterwards that the IRA was "rock solid" behind the peace process.
The meeting was arranged before the PSNI moved on Friday to intercept a van carrying Mr Tohill, who required 93 stitches for injuries received.
Mr Ahern's spokeswoman said the Taoiseach told Mr McGuinness that the incident was the type of paramilitary activity which undermines political progress. Such activities could undermine even the most modest movement by the DUP, she said.
However, she said that Mr Ahern did not support calls that Sinn Féin be suspended from the review of the Belfast Agreement.
She said there had been no collusion between Mr Ahern and the British Prime Minister in their attacks on Sinn Féin over the incident.
Mr McGuinness linked the incident to what he described as "a very determined anti-peace process anti-Sinn Féin agenda which is being carried out by the PSNI".
Of the PSNI claims about the involvement of the Provisional IRA in the incident, he said: "It was clearly done because the PSNI wanted to capture the weekend headlines and wanted to paint as black a picture as they possibly could for the republican participation in the process. In my opinion it's all clearly orchestrated and it's orchestrated by people who are hostile to the process." He added: "I note with interest that there's been some statement or other from the IRA today saying that they had not authorised any action to be taken against Mr Tohill and I think that's a welcome statement."
