Reaction:The Taoiseach has described last night's violence in Belfast following the annual Twelfth of July demonstrations as "deeply ".
Mr Ahern said there was widespread concerns about the handling of the Belfast march, and "specifically that those not directly involved in the march were allowed to proceed through the Ardoyne".
He acknowledged the efforts that had been made in the run-up to the march to defuse tensions in the area.
"Nevertheless, it is clear that there would have been even greater violence had it not been for the restraining influence of community and political leaders on the ground," he said.
Mr Ahern said: "What is clear is that the only way forward is through dialogue and meaningful engagement."
"The Parades Commission had highlighted the potential of the North and West Parades Forum as a means of achieving this in Belfast."
Sinn Féin has said the actions of the police in the North have left the Parades Commission "defunct".
The party's security spokesman, Mr Gerry Kelly, was speaking after loyalist supporters of the Orange Order were allowed to pass the nationalist Ardoyne area on their return to Ligoniel and Ballysillan last night.
Serious violence erupted when the loyalist crowd passed nationalist protesters, who were hemmed in by police and the British army.
"The Parades Commission is now defunct because when it makes a decision the PSNI does whatever it wants to do anyway," said Mr Kelly, who was on the scene last night urging nationalists to resist engaging in violence.
"They are cock-a-hoop because they are still in charge," Mr Kelly said of the police.
Ulster Unionist Leader, Mr David Trimble, on the other hand questioned the British government over the amount of money spent on the Parades Commission.
Mr Trimble said that the Parades Commission had "demonstrated very clearly the extent to which it is a joke, when it decided to stop the gentlemen who are members of the Royal Black Perceptory in Lurgan from going to the railway station."
SDLP leader Mark Durkan today backed away from claims that his party would consider its position on policing. Speaking after last night's violence Mr Durkan said the Parades Commission had been undermined by the police decision to allow Orange supporters to pass.
Yesterday, his party colleague Mr Martin Morgan hinted the SDLP would review its position on the Policing Board and the District Policing Partnerships if the Commission's ruling was not adhered to.
But Mr Durkan refused to go that far.
"There are bigger issues here at stake than just whether or not the SDLP take a particular attitude in relation to policing overall based on what we believe was a mismanaged situation yesterday," he said.
"We are on the Policing Board to hold the police to account for their performance and we will be holding the police to account for their performance.
"I think the Parades Commission is undermined and put in a difficult position in the way in which decisions were taken yesterday," he said.
"We were not meant to get ourselves into a situation where key decisions about what was going to happen in relation to parades would be the situation of uncertainty and rumour."
Mr Durkan said the police had argued that the Parades Commission decision did not deal with the question of what was going to happen to the supporters afterwards.
