The talks came after the devolved administrations issued a joint declaration on cuts Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg pledged to look again at the level of spending cuts proposed in NI.
The commitment comes amid claims from ministers that a major raid on the region’s capital expenditure budget would break a deal struck during the peace process.
Mr Clegg held talks with the First and Deputy First Minister on Thursday.
Mr Clegg said he could not provide any assurances because decisions were still being made ahead of 20 October.
“The First Minister and Deputy First Minister raised with me in very clear terms their concerns about the possible impact of the deficit reduction plan we are setting out on capital expenditure in Northern Ireland,” he said.
“I have said that I will go away with colleagues in the coalition government to look at this.”
“We understand their concerns, we’ll look at them but obviously I can’t provided detailed assurances now because everything is still being decided upon before October 20.”
Mr Clegg met Democratic Unionist leader Mr Robinson and Sinn Fein’s Mr McGuinness hours after the Stormont Executive joined forces with the Welsh and Scottish administrations to warn the Treasury not to cut too much from their block grants too soon.
But Northern Ireland’s political leaders have also put an additional argument to the coalition, claiming a cut to their capital budget would break an £18bn ten-year investment pledge made by the last Labour government as part of the peace negotiations.
The 2006 St Andrews Agreement, which paved the way for the DUP and Sinn Fein to share power, incorporated a joint deal between the British and Irish governments to fund infrastructure projects in the region.
While the Dublin authorities insist they remain committed to the multi-billion package, despite the country’s severe economic woes, there has been no such undertaking from Downing Street, which has questioned whether Gordon Brown made a promise he couldn’t keep.
While Mr Clegg’s remarks will have given them a degree of comfort tonight, the tone he struck moments later would suggest they shouldn’t bank on a positive outcome.
After praising those involved in the peace process for their extraordinary courage he said the problem needed dealing with sooner rather than later.
“I think in economic terms the worst thing to do would be for this generation to say it’s all too difficult to deal with this deficit, we’ll get our children and grandchildren to pay off our debts.
“At some point someone has to wipe the slate clean, otherwise all we’ll be asking our children and grandchildren in Northern Ireland and elsewhere is to pay off debts for which they are not responsible – and I don’t think that’s right.”
After the meeting Mr Robinson again stressed the need to treat Northern Ireland differently.
“During our meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister, we once again reiterated our position that Northern Ireland faces a particular set of challenges which differ from the rest of the UK.
“The Coalition’s proposed cuts will, I have no doubt, have a far greater effect here that any other region.”
Mr McGuinness added: “In the course of our discussions, the First Minister and I again reiterated our call for the British Government to fulfil their obligations under the St Andrews Agreement and we will continue to make that case through every avenue possible.”
Earlier the three devolved administrations issued a joint statement warning that projected cuts to the block grants would have a long-term negative impact on the regional economies.
The statement, signed by Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, along with their Scottish and Welsh counterparts, Alex Salmond and Carwyn Jones, goes on to say that significant cuts should only be implemented when the recovery was well established.
They urged the government to share its thinking before the spending review on 20 October so that their budgets could be organised as effectively as possible.
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