Cabinet will today formally ratify the decision to accept up to 1,000 refugees fleeing the conflict in Kosovo, should Ireland be requested to do so.
A Government spokesman last night said Ministers would consider the logistical organisation involved in caring for the refugees as well as the financing of such an operation. No such request has yet been received.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, will tonight be among European leaders in Brussels to be briefed by the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, on the crisis in the Balkans.
According to Mr Ahern, the reported incursion yesterday of the Serb military into Albania was "a sinister development" because it involved "another population" in the conflict.
Government officials and NGO's last Saturday inspected two Army barracks at Naas and Kildare to establish their suitability for housing refugees. Each premises would be capable of accommodating over 100 people.
The Department of Defence has informed the Department of Foreign Affairs that it has five former military barracks - two in Kildare, two in County Cork and one in Castleblaney - which are lying vacant. Some of these buildings are being repaired for sale but could be made available quickly if they were considered suitable for the needs of refugees.
Joe Humphreys adds:
The Government has been accused of disseminating "incorrect or partial information" and acting "disingenuously " in relation to Ireland's proposed membership of Partnership for Peace.
Mr Andy Storey, chairman of the peace and justice group Afri, criticised the Taoiseach for reneging on promises to encourage a national debate and hold a referendum on the issue. He was speaking at the publication yesterday of an Afri position paper which warns against membership of the NATO-sponsored body.
Mr Storey said it was disingenuous for Mr Ahern to state that public feelings on joining PfP could be gauged by the European Parliament elections. He also said the Taoiseach had effectively stifled debate about the issue by declaring Ireland would join the organisation before the end of the year.
The decision not to hold a referendum on the issue was a victory for "19th-century-style secret diplomacy" over a transparent foreign-policy-making process owned by the electorate, he added.
The position paper said PfP was "a closed shop" of Northern countries and "wedded to NATO". Mr Storey said the Kosovo crisis provided "a clear warning" to Ireland against membership, adding that NATO's intervention in the Balkans was predictably US-led.
Afri also warned about the cost implications of membership of PfP, citing the Government's recent purchase of £40 million worth of armoured personnel carriers for peacekeeping duties.
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Ireland yesterday backed the call for a referendum on PfP membership.
Ireland has stepped off neutrality fence: Patrick Smyth, page 14