The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has said he wants to see elections to the suspended Northern Irish Assembly held this autumn.
Following a meeting in Downing Street with the British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair both leaders said they wanted to see elections to the suspended Northern Assembly happen as soon as possible but they signalled there were many outstanding issues to be resolved first.
Mr Ahern told a news conference he was confident the difficulties could be overcome. He said the Government's position on the North's suspended Assembly elections has not changed and Mr Blair was aware of that.
Northern Ireland's power-sharing assembly, set up under the 1998 Belfast Agreement, was suspended last October amid allegations of spying by the IRA.
Britain cancelled elections to the assembly in May, accusing the IRA of failing to make a clear pledge to renounce violence.
Mr Blair's spokesman said Mr Ahern and Mr Blair had taken stock of the stalled peace process ahead of Northern Ireland's summer marching season when Protestants and Catholics traditionally clash. He said he did not expect elections before September.
"We want to see the postponed elections as soon as possible," the spokesman said.
Mr Ahern told reporters: "I don't believe that anybody in Northern Ireland is happy with the situation that their assembly, their executive and their administration are in suspension."
"That's why the Irish government is strongly of the view that the best way of dealing with this issue is to get on with having an election, but we understand that there are issues that we have to resolve and we are committed to doing that."
Mr Ahern also met former US President Bill Clinton who was visiting Blair. He will meet the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, before returning to Dublin later.
PA