The Democratic Unionist Party is to hold talks with the Government in a bid to drive forward the peace process, it was confirmed today.
DUP deputy leader Peter Mr Robinson said his party was willing to meet with the Dublin administration in the wake of its success in last week's elections to the Stormont Assembly.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, last week invited the Rev Ian Paisley's party to a meeting to discuss how progress can be made, and Mr Robinson confirmed talks will take place in the future.
"We have indicated that, as part of the process in which we are engaged, it is necessary for us to have a good relationship with our neighbour in the Irish Republic," he said.
"The north-south relations are one of the three strands that have to be dealt with so, therefore, of course we will meet with the government of the Irish Republic.
"And indeed, lest anybody has forgotten, we dealt with them before.
"In the talks process that took place under the chairmanship of Sir Patrick Mayhew, we met with a delegation from the Dublin government. "It's not a first for us, we're prepared to do it.
"Whether it's in Dublin or whether it's in Belfast or whether it's anywhere else is a matter to be decided, but of course we will deal with them on those matters.
"But we are not dealing with Dublin in terms of the internal affairs of Northern Ireland."
Mr Robinson dismissed rumours that the Rev Ian Paisley would retire as party leader in the wake of their electoral success and insisted he still had a major role to play.
"Ian will see the task that he has put his hand to through to the end," he said.
"He will be working with us during the whole of the negotiating process, he'll be leading the team and that's the way Democratic Unionist voters would have it.
"Ian Paisley, as the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, has his veto on all the progress that is being made by the Democratic Unionist Party.
"There are not activities going on within the Democratic Unionist Party that Ian Paisley is resisting, the party is acting in a unified and coherent way in terms of the progress that it has made over the last number of months and years and it will continue to work and walk together."
Mr Robinson said British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair must recognise that things had changed in Northern Ireland and a new agreement was needed.
"The Prime Minister invested everything that he had, his credibility, his time and his energy into an agreement that's failed," he added.
PA