The essential elements of the St Andrews Agreement were commitments by the DUP to powersharing and Sinn Féin to accept and support policing, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dáil yesterday.
"The Sinn Féin position on policing will, in the first instance, be decided within their own structures in the weeks ahead," he added.
"All the parties, including the DUP, left St Andrews, I believe, in a positive frame of mind. They were asked to say whether they will agree with the package by November 10th. Following consultation with their members, if agreed, the process would be on course for the nomination of the first minister and deputy first minister on November 24th."
Mr Ahern was replying to Opposition leaders' questions in the Dáil following the postponement of the Stormont talks.
"It is clear that the issue which created some difficulties today was an issue that we did deal with and was to be dealt with in the preparation for government committee discussions. So they were to discuss it in those discussions," said Mr Ahern.
The Taoiseach said that there had been a successful meeting with the Northern parties in Scotland last week.
"We appreciate the valuable contributions made. We now have a timetable for restoration of the institutions. We have ensured that the deadline of November 24th remains real," said Mr Ahern.
"The engagement was difficult and for a long time it seemed we would not get an outcome. But we did produce a document and we hope that all the parties, in studying this, will come to agreement on it."
The Taoiseach was replying to Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF, Cavan-Monaghan) who said that the next Assembly elections would take place at the end of the current term rather than a new set of elections taking place as had been mooted by some.
He added that the St Andrews document in no way overrode the essential essence of the Belfast Agreement as endorsed by the electorates of the North and the Republic.
He asked the Taoiseach to join with him in urging people of all opinion and none, throughout Ireland, to take the time to read the text of the document presented by the two governments and inform themselves properly.
Mr Ahern said that the fundamentals of the Belfast Agreement had not changed. "The St Andrews proposals, which arise from the review of the agreement, if accepted by the parties, is the way forward," he said.
The agreement, he added, was never intended to be static. "It provided for a review of its operation by the governments and parties four years after it came into operation. A review began in 2004, but given the events of December 2004, it could not be brought to a conclusion."
Mr Ó Caoláin urged the Government to revive the Taoiseach's proposal for limited representation for Northern MPs in a Dáil committee. The equality and human rights agenda should be advanced on a truly all-Ireland basis, he added.
Mr Ahern said the Government had already engaged with the British government at ministerial and official levels regarding the peace dividend. "We are prepared to continue to do that," he added.
The desire had been made clear several times to move forward health, education, science, food and other issues. Human rights structures had been set up and the Government would continue to work on those.
"The Irish Government, as we outlined last week and in all previous discussions, is prepared to try to move things forward," said Mr Ahern.
