In the most positive assessment of the prospects for progress in the North in months, the Taoiseach has said he now believes there will be a political breakthrough during the next fortnight, leading to assembly elections in November.
As he prepared yesterday for a final strategy meeting with Mr Tony Blair in Rome today on the margins of a meeting of EU leaders, Mr Ahern said a "substantive statement" from the IRA on the ending of its activities, coupled with a commitment from Mr David Trimble to operate the North's political institutions, was required very quickly to allow for an election.
"I very much want one," he said in an interview with The Irish Times. "My belief is there will be one. I can't be sure about that, but I do believe there will be one."
In a wide-ranging interview Mr Ahern also said he was planning a "fundamental" re-examination of the Cabinet next year with a view to a reshuffle. He wanted to increase the limits placed on political donations and he would like to get more money from religious orders towards compensation for abuse victims "if that was possible".
Mr Ahern described himself as a left-of-centre republican and vowed to quit politics in eight years at the age of 60, no matter what position he held then.
The Taoiseach blamed the dramatic slowdown in economic growth and the resulting cut in the rate of public spending increases for the decline in the Coalition's and his own popularity in opinion polls.
"People are having a tougher time. I understand that. I understand people's fears," he said. His Government's greatest achievement since last year had been the retention of the unemployment rate at a low 4.5 per cent despite the slowdown in growth.
Its major challenge was the completion of major road and other infrastructural projects on time and within tight budgetary controls.
"If you're asking me what I would like to do better I would like to get our act together a bit better to get all these things done and finished," he said. He also promised to press ahead with the reform of the health services.
Asked if he would like the religious orders to pay more towards compensating victims of abuse, he said: "I'd like to get more out of them if that was possible. But I have to say I think in the end of the day the deal we got was not a bad deal. I'm not saying it was a great deal but it wasn't a bad deal."
He also played down the importance of the controversy over the exclusion of Mr Michael McDowell, then attorney general, from key meetings with the religious orders to discuss abuse compensation.
"At the end of the day when we made the decision we had full and comprehensive advice on all the matters that needed to be addressed," he said.
He supported the stated aim of the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, of increasing the legal limit on donations to political parties. People had a constitutional right to make donations, and his only concerns were "to make sure there are no favours done" or expected by large donors.
He did not favour going back to the days of €100,000 and €50,000 donations but felt there was room for an extension of limits "with disclosure".
He favoured setting up a statutory press council to regulate media behaviour, rather than the self-regulation model favoured by some in the newspaper industry.
As to whether a statutorily based press council should be appointed by the Government or by some other means to make it independent of government, this was "subject to discussion. I don't have a hang-up about how you do it", he said.
His view on this and on his support for libel-law reform had not been influenced by the press coverage in recent months of his personal life, he said. On that coverage he would only say: "I do my best in life, but like everyone else I have to sometimes walk around the block before I get calm and cool again."