At a series of historic ceremonies in Dublin this morning, power will be devolved to the new North-South Ministerial Council and the British-Irish Council, while the Taoiseach will sign a declaration to give effect to the revised version of Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.
Mr Ahern yesterday described as "irrevocable" the removal of the territorial claim by the Republic on Northern Ireland and the insertion in the Constitution of the new version of Articles 2 and 3, which states that a united Ireland can come about only by consent.
At midnight last night, power was formally devolved by the British government to the new Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive, thereby ending 25 years of direct rule from Westminster.
The first formal meeting of the Executive takes place at Stormont today. Thus, 18 months after the first popular vote by all the people of Ireland since 1918, the final institutional and constitutional changes envisaged under the Belfast Agreement will come into force.
At a ceremony in Iveagh House, Dublin, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, and the Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, will sign the commencement orders for the new British-Irish Agreement. They will also formally exchange documents which notify each side that all the requirements have been met for the devolution of power to the new institutions.
Following this ceremony, the Cabinet will meet in Government Buildings at 9.30 a.m. to give effect to the changes to Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. The Taoiseach will sign the declaration bringing the constitutional amendments into effect. The ceremony in the cabinet room of Government Buildings will be broadcast live on RTE television.
In keeping with the mood of a remarkable day in British-Irish relations, the President, Mrs McAleese, will meet Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. The meeting is seen as a precursor to a visit to the Republic by the British monarch, possibly in the new year.
Mr Ahern told the Dail yesterday that the new version of Articles 2 and 3 encapsulated our modern understanding of constitutional republicanism. The last traces of irredentism were gone, he said, and the Irish nation was now "defined in the most open, inclusive and pluralist manner possible, without coercion".
Commenting on the significance of the revised Articles, Mr Ahern said that the changes were now "irrevocable". He could not envisage a situation, even where the functions of the Belfast Agreement were interrupted for a considerable time, in which the old wording would be restored.
In another indication of the progress achieved in recent weeks, a statement from the IRA is expected later today announcing the appointment of an interlocutor to liaise with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning.
Notwithstanding the appointment of the IRA representative, the Ulster Unionists have signalled that if the arms decommissioning process has not begun by February, Mr David Trimble will resign as First Minister and withdraw from the Executive along with his party colleagues.
Deaglan de Breadun, Northern Editor, adds: The first meeting of the new devolved Executive takes place at 3 p.m. today at Stormont. The Rev Ian Paisley made it clear last night that the two DUP ministers, Mr Peter Robinson and Mr Nigel Dodds, would not be attending. The next full meeting of the Stormont Assembly will take place on Monday.
A "shadow meeting" of the North-South Ministerial Council was held at Stormont yesterday as part of the formalities required to establish six new cross-Border implementation bodies. The meeting was attended by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell, representing Dublin, and by the First Minister, Mr David Trimble, and the Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon, on behalf the new administration.
Decommissioning an essential part of agreement, says Ahern; Two candidates for IRA go-between: page 7