The Taoiseach said last night he understood Mr David Trimble's reason for postponing the Ulster Unionist Council meeting and said he wished him well in his efforts to sell the latest proposals to his party.
Mr Trimble telephoned Mr Ahern yesterday afternoon immediately after making his decision to postpone the crucial meeting, saying he believed he needed more time to ensure he won his party's backing to reenter the Assembly and Executive. He is understood to have made it clear that he would campaign for acceptance of the plan.
Government reaction last night reflected an acceptance of Mr Trimble's judgment, as well as a belief that the IRA commitment to begin a decommissioning process and allow arms dumps be inspected would remain in place despite the concessions to unionists since it was made.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said he was hopeful the IRA position would remain intact for the extra week. Government sources said privately they believed it would.
"David Trimble and the Ulster Unionist Party leadership obviously need more time to explain the significance of the Hillsborough proposals and the IRA statement," Mr Ahern said through a spokesman.
Sinn Fein welcomed Mr Trimble's announcement that he would back a return to government at a postponed meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council on May 27th. The former Stormont Education Minister, Mr Martin McGuinness, described the unionist leader's statement as a "positive recommendation".
He said: "What we want to see now is obviously the majority within the Ulster Unionist Party who tell us that they are for the Good Friday agreement moving with the rest of us, the rest of the pro-Agreement parties, to actually bring about the implementation of that agreement."
The former Stormont Higher Education Minister, Mr Sean Farren, of the SDLP, said although there would be disappointment at the delay it was forgivable.
"If David Trimble's message . . . is signalling a clear determination, a determination that has been absent up to now, that he and his colleagues and the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party are prepared to back and sell this deal, then an extra week is something that I think we'll all forgive him for."
The former Assembly Finance Minister, Mr Mark Durkan, of the SDLP, said "enormous damage" had been caused to the political system by the negotiating between the Ulster Unionists and the British government outside of the deal.
"The British and Irish governments owe it to the rest of us to try and work with the rest of us to manage the politics over the next week in a positive way and ways that are helpful to David Trimble delivering a positive result. They can't leave us in free fall the way they did in Hillsborough."
The Alliance leader, Mr Sean Neeson, also welcomed Mr Trimble's decision. "Alliance is pleased that David Trimble has finally decided to sell the Hillsborough deal to the Ulster Unionist Party. Over the past 10 days, support for this deal has been allowed to wane."
Describing the UUC meeting as "make or break" for the agreement, Mr Neeson said there may not be another opportunity to reactivate the institutions. "The people of Northern Ireland overwhelmingly want their Executive restored. The Yes voters put their trust in their politicians to work the agreement. But the longer the political wrangling becomes, the more disillusioned and apathetic they are becoming."
The Northern Ireland Women's Coalition leader, Ms Monica McWilliams, said she hoped there would be a positive response to the meeting. "An air of pragmatism and reality is needed."