The Taoiseach has again sought to shift the emphasis in the stalled peace process away from arms decommissioning, warning the key players in Washington that the issue must not "paralyse" attempts to reach a resolution.
As efforts intensify to have the political institutions restored, President Clinton is due to meet some of the North's leading politicians at the White House today in advance of a crucial meeting next week between Mr Ahern and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, where they will attempt to agree a new strategy.
Amid continuing signs of instability within unionism and the republican movement, Mr Ahern acknowledged the difficulties yesterday, telling reporters: "I can't outline the strategy because we haven't put it together yet."
In what is seen as a move to encourage progress, the Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, has held out the prospect of further reductions in the British military presence in the North in the coming weeks and months.
In Washington yesterday, he announced the withdrawal of 500 more troops from the North. According to Mr Mandelson, this created a situation where, for the first time since 1969, there would be no British army battalion resident in Belfast.
Mr Mandelson insisted yesterday the latest troop reduction was decided upon by the RUC Chief Constable for operational reasons. While repeating that such decisions were made on the basis of the level of perceived threat, he said: "I suspect there will be other decisions of a similar kind taken in the weeks and months to come".
Mr Ahern told reporters on Capitol Hill that he welcomed the move, as it was in line with "the call I made at the ardfheis two weeks ago". While the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, also welcomed the move, he described it as a "belated, drip-feed announcement", and suggested it was made in Washington on the eve of St Patrick's Day for propaganda purposes.
Speaking at the annual Ireland Fund dinner in the US capital, Mr Ahern barely referred to decommissioning, stressing instead the need to build confidence that "the commitment to democracy is total and unqualified" and that a "reversion to violence is not an option".
His comments reflect behind-the-scenes efforts to shift the focus from short-term demands for decommissioning which, as Mr Mandelson said yesterday, "have brought us no guns and no government". The Taoiseach's speech was given added significance in being delivered to an audience including Mr Clinton, Mr Mandelson and leaders of all the pro-agreement parties.
Mr Ahern's concentration on the need to build trust and confidence that a return to violence will not happen is seen as an attempt to move away from the narrow demands for weapons decommissioning and recast the debate on the issue.
In an apparent reference to such repeated decommissioning demands, he warned the parties must "dispel any notion, no matter how far-fetched, that anyone wants to marginalise or humiliate those making the necessary but unfamiliar journey into an exclusively democratic commitment".
He said there was a need to "build confidence that the commitment to democracy is total and unqualified, and dispel any fears, however unfounded, that it might be feigned or merely tactical".
He emphasised the need to implement other elements of the agreement important to nationalists, including the Patten report on policing as well as commitments on human rights, justice, security, social and cultural issues.