Those involved in seeking a resolution to the Middle East conflict should look closely at the Irish peace process, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said yesterday.
He said that compared with efforts to find peace in the Middle East, the Basque country and Colombia, the Irish peace process has been successful.
"I believe the protagonists in the Middle East should study more closely the Irish experience. The heavy fist of repression will not provide a solution. But nor will the deliberate bombing of civilians, whether by suicide or otherwise, and such atrocities, which we also experienced in this city and other cities on these islands, have been described quite correctly as ethically reprehensible," he said.
His comments came in his oration at the annual Easter Rising commemoration at Arbour Hill, Dublin, where 14 of those executed during the rising are buried.
Mr Ahern said that any Middle East solution must take account of the legitimate rights of both Israelis and Palestinians, in keeping with UN Security Council resolutions.
On a matter closer to home, he said the people who would gain most from the Good Friday agreement would be the communities "that succeed the fastest in dismantling redundant paramilitary structures".
While he welcomed the second act of decommissioning by the IRA, it seemed to him "a greater readiness all round to acknowledge the profound hurts caused on both sides, could also contribute to a better atmosphere for progress".
He added, however, that "there are no short cuts to an Irish unity that would be worth having".
Earlier Mr Ahern, accompanied by his partner, Ms Celia Larkin, and several members of the Cabinet, attended a memorial Mass in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Arbour Hill, in memory of all deceased members of the Fianna Fáil organisation.
During the Mass, the celebrant, Monsignor John Crowley, head chaplain of the defence forces, offered prayers for the two gardaí, Garda Tony Tighe and Garda Michael Padden, killed a week ago on the Stillorgan dual carriageway when their patrol car was hit by a stolen vehicle. Prayers were also said for the Irish soldier Private Peadar Ó Flatharta, who was accidentally killed in East Timor last week when a colleague's weapon was discharged during a patrol.
Following Mass, a crowd of about 300 marched behind the St James Brass & Reed Band to the Republican plot behind Arbour Hill Church and a wreath was laid by Mr Ahern.
The turnout of TDs, which was less than in previous years, was explained by Fianna Fáil's national organiser, Mr Seán Sherwin. He said most were at church gates in their own constituencies handing out leaflets in advance of the general election.