The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, emerged from Leeds Castle on Saturday declaring what was now on offer for Northern Ireland was "reasonable in substance and historic in its meaning". Frank Millar, London Editor, reports.
At the same time Mr Blair confirmed that he and Mr Ahern had not yet received a statement from the Provisional IRA detailing its proposals for weapons decommissioning or defining that organisation's proposed future status following its cessation as a paramilitary force.
Having failed to force the three-day negotiation to the promised "point of decision", however, Mr Blair and Mr Ahern struck a defiantly upbeat note, urging the Northern Ireland parties to conduct their remaining consultations on possible institutional changes to the Belfast Agreement "as a matter of urgency". They agreed that any such changes could only be made by agreement of the parties and could not disturb what Mr Blair called "the basic equilibrium" of the Good Friday accord.
Having put forward his own proposals to help address apparent Democratic Unionist Party difficulties over issues of efficiency, transparency and collective responsibility, the Taoiseach made it clear from the Government's perspective that any changes agreed would not require a further referendum.
They would be, he asserted, "Good Friday compliant, constitutionally compliant." At the same time Mr Blair implicitly warned the Rev Ian Paisley's DUP that the political process would move ahead without them if they failed to agree terms with the pro-agreement parties in the discussions resuming in Belfast tomorrow.
In a joint statement read by Mr Blair at the start of their press conference on Saturday, the two premiers said the three day talks had left them believing "we can resolve the issues to do with ending paramilitary activity and putting weapons beyond use".
The prime minister and Taoiseach confirmed that the Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, would reconvene with the parties this week to see how changes to Strand One, Two and Three of the Belfast Agreement could be made "without damaging the fundamentals of the fair and inclusive basis" of the agreement itself.
Mr Blair then declared: "One thing I am quite sure of, however, we can resolve the issue of paramilitary activity and an end to all violence. It is true there is a negotiation now over the institutional mechanisms for devolution to work in Northern Ireland. I cannot believe that if people really want to find a way through they won't find a way through.
"The big issue was always - if there was a total end to violence would everyone share power? That question, in principle, is now answered in the same way by every party we deal with. The issue of ending the violence I think, as a result of what we have discussed and the outline of what we have got, I think can be done.
"I can't believe myself that this set of institutional issues is going then to scupper what otherwise would be a very good deal. But let's wait and see."
Asked what would happen if he saw this putative deal unravel because the politicians could not agree the institutional issues, Mr Blair replied: "There is nothing more for us to do in a long negotiation like this any more. We are determined to move this thing forward. "So the governments intend, provided we get a satisfactory response, to start moving the thing forward and then it is for people to decide whether they want to come in behind that or not."