The British Prime Minister and the Taoiseach last night discussed how they would manage the peace process after the expected suspension of the Northern Ireland Executive, writes Frank Millar, London Editor.
As Mr Ahern flew into London for the crisis talks with Mr Blair the official position remained that Dublin opposed suspension.
However, Irish officials signalled Mr Ahern's likely acceptance that Mr Blair would have little choice but to suspend the institutions of government in order to prevent the "freefall" which would follow the Ulster Unionist Party's threatened withdrawal from the power-sharing administration next Tuesday.
At the same time the Irish Government was converging with the SDLP around a firm expectation that - in the event of suspension of the institutions - fresh elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly should take place by their scheduled date, May 1st next year, if not before.
The Taoiseach also stressed the role of the British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference during any interim period as the key vehicle of bilateral co-operation between the two governments, to ensure the continuation of what one source called "the Weston Park agenda" on policing, justice and other reforms.
However, Mr Ahern's first priority last night was to hear a full assessment from Mr Blair about the events surrounding last week's police raids on Sinn Féin's Stormont office and the scale of the republican movement's alleged espionage at the heart of the Northern Ireland Office.
SDLP accepts suspension: page 6; Peter Robinson talks to Alison Healy: page 7