It is up to Sinn Féin and the IRA to make the next move in the peace process the Taoiseach told the Dáil this afternoon.
Mr Ahern, who met Mr Gerry Adams and Mr Martin McGuinness in Dublin yesterday told the House: "A lot depends now on what the reply back is from Sinn Féin about they [deal with] the two issues of criminality and decommissioning".
"I have no possbility of being able to go to the other parties, and wouldn't anyway, unless we can do something major in that area and that does not rest with me," Mr Ahern added.
"That is an issue that rests with the Sinn Fein leadership and the opposite side of the coin, the Provisional IRA."
Monaghan Sinn Féin TD, Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin challenged the Taoiseach to withdraw the "baseless allegations" that Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness had prior knowledge of the Northern Bank heist, which the IRA denied being involved in.
"At the outset Taoiseach, can I make it very clear that I reject criminality in all its forms and I wonder would you be as able to as clearly make that statement here before this house.
"I think with respect to you that you have a neck on you trying to lable any other political party with the criminality tag when one looks at the daily unfolding reality in relation to your own political party," Mr Ó Caoláin added.
Earlier, Mr Ahern had a telephone conversation with Democratic Unionist Party Leader the Rev Ian Paisley to discuss the difficulties in the peace process.
A Government spokesman said the 15-minute lunchtime talks gave Mr Ahern an opportunity to update Mr Paisley on yesterday's meetings in Dublin with Sinn Fein, the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP.
Mr Ahern will meet the Independent Monitoring Commission in Dublin on Monday and the British Prime Minister Tony Blair next Tuesday. He told the Dáil he would also be meeting the PSNI Chief Constable and the Garda Commissioner before Tuesday.
