The next 10 days would be crucial in the search for a breakthrough which could move the peace process in Northern Ireland forward, the Taoiseach said yesterday.
If there wasn't movement on policing, demilitarisation and decommissioning within this time-frame, Mr Ahern added, the issues would have to be put into abeyance until the autumn because of the coming general election in Britain.
Mr Ahern, speaking in Cork, said although he could not say a breakthrough was imminent, the present round of talks was the most detailed since the negotiations leading to the Belfast Agreement and no effort was being spared to find a solution.
"Since the talks started on January 8th - I joined them on January 11th - we have really got into the three issues on which there has been a lot of discussion but perhaps not enough of detailed, informative dialogue. But since January 8th, decommissioning, all of the issues related around it, demilitarisation and all of the issues around that, and policing, have been explored in enormous detail," he said.
It would be imprudent, Mr Ahern continued, to play down the difficulties involved in the various aspects of the talks.
"All of them are difficult. They are either difficult for individual parties or they are difficult for everybody, but there is a feeling that we should do our utmost before things move into the election saga which we reckon they will by the end of this month", he said.
Asked if this meant a timeframe of weeks, the Taoiseach replied: "Yes, weeks at the max. There's no semblance yet that we can do it, although there is enormous effort going into it. If we can, I think we could have a substantive breakthrough, but if we can't then I think these issues will have to be left over until the autumn.
"I'd prefer not to do that but certainly for the next 10 days we'll keep at them and see if we can make a breakthrough. Everybody is trying really hard," the Taoiseach added.