The Taoiseach ruled out roundtable talks, in the short term, to resolve the crisis in the Northern peace process.

"I think we are going to see a lot of bilateral talks first. I would like to cut that circuit and get straight to the all-party talks, but, unfortunately, I am very much in the hands of what the pro-Agreement parties would settle for in this," Mr Ahern added. "I think, until we have some basis for building something, it probably is not very productive."

The Taoiseach was replying to the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, and the Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, at Question Time.

Mr Bruton had suggested that Mr Ahern should get all the parties around the table very quickly. "Parties are retreating from previous concessions as long as time remains and they are apart from one another. The only way to get them back into a mode of compromise is to have them around the table, with the two governments having the same policy on all key questions."

Mr Quinn had asked if a round-table meeting of all the parties involved, including if necessary, the parties in the Dail, would be helpful in bringing them back to the centre of compromise, from which they seemed to be retreating. This would establish, as a minimum, that a return to armed conflict was not an option, particularly for those parties with paramilitary wings.

On last Saturday's leadership challenge against the UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, the Taoiseach, in reply to Mr Trevor Sargent (Green Party, Dublin North) said: "Last Saturday's result was disappointing, in so far as it was not what Mr Trimble or his leadership group required from it. Having said that, the vote was more or less the same as it was in November."

Mr Ahern said the two governments were trying to come to a joint agreement on all the issues. "The position of the Government on decommissioning and related matters has not changed. We would like to see progress today and certainly by May 22nd. That is also the view of the British government. We have no problem agreeing those issues on the same front, but we are realistic and we know there is not a hope of us achieving that objective.

"That is the view of all the pro-Agreement parties and the two governments. We are not getting any support for that position."

Mr Ahern said he would have meetings in Dublin with the various parties involved, including Mr Trimble, by the weekend.

Asked by Mr Bruton if he thought it was accurate to say that loyalist and republican guns were now silent, in view of the fact that guns were being used in punishments, the Taoiseach replied: "My view on the cease-fires is that they still hold. Deputy Bruton knows my views on punishment beatings."

Pressed further, the Taoiseach said there had been a number of loyalist killings which seemed to be more criminal-related than to do with the so-called Troubles. "However, I condemn all those killings."

Mr Ahern said he had been critical of the Sinn Fein leadership a few weeks ago on the issue, but it had been trying hard on the ground to stop punishment beatings. "The position is not as simple as it used to be even a year ago in some of the nationalist areas."

Mr Quinn asked the Taoiseach to confirm that the British and Irish governments were working jointly at all levels to present a united front to re-launch the talks from the impasse in which they were currently locked.

Mr Ahern replied that was definitely so and had been all along. "Of course, there have been some difficulties over the February 11th position, but any recriminations from anybody about that are long past."