Fianna Fáil will not "abdicate" its responsibility to uphold the democratic values of its republicanism, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, declared yesterday.
"The future of Ireland will be defined by democracy, not by paramilitaries of any description."
Mr Ahern said: "Our Constitution provides for only one army, one Óglaigh na hÉireann. With the Good Friday agreement and its implementation, there remains no conceivable justification for maintaining paramilitary armies. Democracy and private armies do not mix."
He said many of those once involved in paramilitary activity now accepted that the time had come to draw a line under the Northern conflict. "I am certain that the people will not excuse or understand any party failing to take up the historic opportunity of bringing a long era of political violence to an end."
Mr Ahern warned that the restoration of the Assembly and Executive could be put back for more than a year if a deal was not reached quickly.
"The coming weeks represent a window of opportunity to copper-fasten peace and stability," he said at Fianna Fáil's annual Wolfe Tone commemoration in Bodenstown, Co Kildare.
"This opportunity must not be lost. Otherwise, we risk having restoration of the institutions deferred for some considerable time. Such further delay is in no one's interests and it will not benefit any of the political parties.
"We have talked about the outstanding issues to the point of exhaustion and frustration. People now want outcomes. Everyone, on all sides, knows what they must do."
The commemoration was attended by a host of leading FF figures, including the Minister for Finance, Mr Cowen, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern, the Minister for Education, Ms Hanafin, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Roche, the Minister for Defence, Mr O'Dea, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Ó Cuív, and the Government Chief Whip, Mr Tom Kitt.
Emphasising that the United Irishmen had "started out as constitutional democrats", Mr Ahern said: "It was only when they were forced underground or into exile and all meaningful reform was refused that they became revolutionaries. But their republicanism was inherently democratic. So, also is our republicanism.
"One of the paradoxes about Wolfe Tone was that he combined a republican activism for the rights of the oppressed majority with a critical attitude to the papacy and certain formal aspects of Catholicism. This latter viewpoint is more typical of a perspective of unionism.
"But modern Ireland, while continuing to respect the contribution that organised religion makes to society, has moved to a new, healthier model of church/state relations than existed in the past.
"Today, we have a dynamic and changing society. We value religious liberty and practise religious tolerance. Our success is based on democratic republicanism and is inspired by the principles of equality and fraternity."
Dealing with Northern policing, Mr Ahern said "little more" could be done to change the PSNI "from the outside. In any well-constructed democratic system of government, support for policing is naturally expected of all those who hold public office. The agreement instituted a radical reform of policing to make it much more representative of the community at large.
"The spirit of Patten is clearly being fulfilled. Further improvements depend on the involvement and engagement of all sections of the community.
"One of the issues that remains to be agreed is the context for devolving policing and justice. No party has expressed opposition to this principle and it remains an objective set out in the Good Friday agreement. To achieve it, the primary task facing us is to restore the institutions in a context that inspires confidence for all the parties concerned," Mr Ahern said.
