There is mounting expectation that the Taoiseach Mr Ahern and the British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair will visit Hillsborough tomorrow in order to sign off on a deal leading to assembly elections in Northern Ireland.
This evening there were positive signals that a deal could be imminent and Mr Ahern has spoken twice today with Mr Blair.
The negotiation was into its 48 final hours, the Taoiseach said. The crucialoutstanding issues were the "stability of institutions" and certainty that"we're at the end of the game on paramilitarism".
Mr Ahern said: "I know that these aren't easy issues. But we can't dodge them. Iwill call it. I will say we have achieved it or we haven't."
Meanwhile anti-Agreement unionists have warned they that are unlikely to support any deal between the UUP and Sinn Féin.
UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, reconvened talks today with Sinn Féin in which a commitment from the IRA to end all its activities is seen as the cornerstone of a deal that will see the UUP agree not to collapse the Assembly in the future.
The DUP today claimed Mr Trimble was preparing to strike a deal that amounted to a u-turn "in the face of Sinn Féin/IRA pressure".
And the main dissident within the UUP, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson said his leader appeared ready to conclude a deal which had not been agreed by the party.
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He warned that in the event of Assembly elections taking place, UUP candidates could end up arguing contradictory policies at the hustings.
The Lagan Valley MP was one of three rebel Westminster representatives who resigned the party whip in June and is the figurehead for a significant UUP rump against the leadership's policy on the Belfast Agreement.
"It certainly seems at the moment ... that the deal is going to fall short of the requirements that we have laid down," Mr Donaldson said today.
Speculation is mounting that a deal will be struck in the next 48 hours leading to a meeting between the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in which a date for Assembly elections at the end of next month will be announced.
If the election takes place then a bitter campaign between the UUP and DUP will ensue with a strong chance that Mr Trimble's party will lose its position as the biggest unionist party in the North.
DUP leader, Rev Ian Paisley, warned the UUP would take "a battering" at the polls.
As the UUP launched a poster depicting fish and chips and their new slogan "Simply British", Dr Paisley said the electorate would not be "fooled" by the image.
"When the votes are cast, it will be easy to see who has taken the battering," he said.
"Is he honestly saying that to allow the likes of Martin McGuinness back into government now without a definitive end to IRA activity is clear enough ground upon which to move forward?"
Although a historic agreement appeared near after hours of intensive talks yesterday, sources late last night warned against blind optimism.
Sinn Féin negotiator Mr Conor Murphy said the talks were now at "make your mind up time". He said republicans wanted the poll to take place in a positive climate, and said all parties needed the political will to make progress.
"We think that, if the political will is there, things can be done and we certainly hope to play our part in ensuring that we do go into an election in a positive frame of mind and we do get the institutions back up and running and the Good Friday Agreement fully implemented."
Additional reporting PA