The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, today cast doubt on whether an Assembly election in the North would take place this year.
Ahead of Saturday's meeting with the British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair, Mr Ahern said there were only four weeks left to name a date.
While not ruling out the possibility that elections may take place before the end of the year, he said both Governments had not yet devised a plan "that we can feel confident we are going to implement".
He said while the Government hoped to get to the position where an election date was named in the next few weeks, this would not happen at his meeting with Mr Blair at Chequers on Saturday.
"If there is no breakthrough the Government would have to look at what could be done in the New Year", he said.
The Governments are hoping that Saturday's meeting can be used to devise a plan to inject a new momentum into the process.
Mr Trimble's Ulster Unionists have insisted that they will not sit in government with Sinn Féin until the IRA ends all paramilitary activity.
To call elections, Mr Blair will be seeking assurances from republicans that the IRA will make some gestures to indicate it will cease all activity in order to improve Mr Trimble's electoral chances against his internal and external anti-Belfast Agreement unionist opponents.
Sinn Féin has already threatened legal action to force Assembly elections. The party maintains that if a new election date is not set there is no possibility of republicans considering any further initiatives.