The Taoiseach insisted today that the fundamentals of the Belfast Agreement would not be altered, but warned that certain elements of the deal may have to be reviewed to secure a deal.
Mr Ahern, who was speaking after a meeting with a top-level SinnFéin delegation at his constituency office in Drumcondra this morning, said it was accepted by all parties involved in negotiations to restore devolution that some changes were necessary.
"In the Good Friday Agreement there is a review clause and we all agreed to that," he said. "It is not unreasonable for anybody to say that after six years we should have a review of the mechanisms to see if it could work better."
Both the Irish and British governments are currently engaged in intensive efforts with all Northern Ireland parties to secure an agreement that would see DUP and Sinn Féin ministers ruling from Stormont.
The main stumbling blocks in the negotiations are ministerial accountability, the finalisation of the review, paramilitarism and policing.
"I am endeavouring to explore between the DUP and Sinn Fein where the common threads are, where are the threads that the Governments can agree with," Mr Ahern said. "It is of course regrettable they don't talk to each other. It would be far easier for me and for them but that is not possible and because of that we have to follow this process."
A DUP delegation headed by the Rev Ian Paisley was in Dublin for talks last week. The DUP was understood to seeking a number of changes to the Agreement, primarily in the area of ministerial accountability.
Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Ulster Unionists have made it clear they are against any "dilution" of the agreement, and have accused the DUP of focusing on procedural matters to avoid having to sit in government with republicans.
Speaking after the 90-minute meeting this morning, Sinn Féin party president Mr Gerry Adams expressed "deep concern at the positions being put to us by the two governments" which he said "breach the fundamentals" of the Agreement.
"However as I have said before I do believe that a deal between Sinn Féin, the DUP, the two governments and the other parties is inevitable," Mr Adams added.
"If we are to achieve a restoration of stable and sustainable political institutions then I believe that there is no better time than now to do that business. But any deal cannot be at the expense of the fundamentals of the Good Friday Agreement."