The review of the Belfast Agreement will begin on Tuesday, February 3rd, the Irish and British Governments announced today.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said he hoped the review would be concluded by Easter but he said he would draw a "line in the sand" over the timeframe.
Emerging from a 90-minute meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Downing Street, Mr Ahern said: "While we have not put a fixed date on it we see Easter as a fair period of time to make an assessment."
Mr Blair's spokesman said Northern Ireland Secretary Mr Paul Murphy will brief the parties to the Agreement in Belfast tomorrow. He said the review of the Agreement would be "a short, sharp, focused" one.
Parties will meet for talks two days a week and while some bi-laterals might be necessary the talks would be "as round table as much as possible", he said.
Mr Ahern said the two days a week was necessary for the review, which would be co-chaired by the two governments. He said the working arrangements were for the parties to decide.
Mr Ahern and Mr Blair met today for a working lunch, at which they also discussed the talks on agreeing an EU constitution.
PA