The Taoiseach Mr Ahern is due to hold his first meeting with the Loyalist Commission in Dublin tomorrow, according to well-placed sources in Belfast and Dublin.
The commission is composed of Protestant clergymen, unionist politicians and senior members of the UVF, Red Hand Commando, and the UDA, which most recently murdered Alan McCullough.
The murder of Mr McCullough, an associate of Johnny Adair, prompted controversy within unionism over whether Protestant clergymen and unionist politicians should continue engaging with the commission.
The Government also appears conscious of the sensitivities surrounding tomorrow's scheduled meeting as officials would not confirm the engagement. Neither would the Rev Mervyn Gibson, chairman of the commission, make any comment when asked about the meeting.
Mr Ahern, however, is prepared to proceed with the meeting on the basis that it might contribute to defusing tensions in the current political vacuum, it is understood.
Two members each from the UDA, UVF and Red Hand Commando will meet the Taoiseach with other commission members, sources told The Irish Times yesterday.
One source close to the commission said that the encounter with the Taoiseach would prove useful. "Loyalists need to be heard, and this sort of meeting helps bring them in from the cold," he said. "It's important, particularly at a time when loyalists are very iffy about the peace process," he added.
Unionist membership of the commission has caused tensions within the Ulster Unionist Party. Methodist minister the Rev Dr Gary Mason, who is also on the commission, defended clergy being members of the body. Dr Mason, who ministers in east Belfast, said that "engaging [with paramilitaries] is not endorsement". He added that if you "put 40 paramilitaries in a room you have a recipe for disaster. Put clergy in with them to show an alternative [to violence]" and you may make progress.
He could not know whether clergy and politicians on the commission were being deceived by paramilitaries but he was convinced there were among them "a number who are genuinely trying to get away from violence".