Governments' reaction: The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has said today's claim by PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde that the Provisional IRA was behind the £22 million Belfast bank robbery last month was a "serious setback" for the peace process.
He said it had damaged "levels of trust and confidence" and that there was "no good in anyone saying otherwise."
Speaking on RTÉ radio, he stated his concern that "an operation of this magnitude was being planned" at a time when he said he was "in negotiations with the leaders of the organisation involved."
While Mr Ahern said any involvement of the IRA would be "of great concern" to him, he said he wouldn't give up on getting a comprehensive deal.
Mr Ahern said disengagement from the process would be the "wrong thing to do" and said that to get a comprehensive agreement 'we have to keep on going.'
In an official statement, the Taoiseach said attribution of the robbery to the Provisional IRA represents a "serious setback" for the political process in Northern Ireland and was "corrosive of the public confidence that we have been seeking to create".
Mr Ahern added that the Garda was cooperating fully with the PSNI in an effort to ensure that the perpetrators of this crime, "involving as it did a gross and callous violation of the rights and safety of others", are brought to justice as quickly as possible.
The Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) will offer a considered assessment of the matter in its next report.
"At political level, the robbery and its aftermath will reinforce the determination of both Governments to complete the unfinished business arising from the comprehensive agreement," the Taoiseach added.
On his return from the Far East, the Minister for Foreign Affairs will meet the Secretary of State Mr Paul Murphy to review the issue. The Taoiseach said he would meet the British prime minister Mr Blair in the coming weeks for a "full and comprehensive discussion on how both Governments now take forward the process".
A spokesman for the British government said: "The Prime Minister takes this development very seriously.
"He has made it repeatedly clear over the past two years that the political institutions in Northern Ireland can only be restored if there is a complete end to all paramilitary activity by those involved, and that includes all criminal activity.
"He fully supports the Chief Constable in his efforts to bring those responsible for this major crime to account."