The Dail Eireann will be asked next week to approve membership of the NATO-sponsored Partnership for Peace. Fine Gael has tabled a motion advocating membership during its Private Members' Time. The party expects support from all the major Dail parties.
Recently the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, have encouraged public debate on the issue and indicated they were prepared to consider changing Fianna Fail's position.
The Fine Gael spokesman on foreign affairs, Mr Gay Mitchell, said his party believed it was high time Ireland took its place among the community of European nations, both aligned and neutral, which believed they had a political and moral responsibility to promote and uphold peace.
Mr Mitchell expected a majority of Dail members, from all major parties, to support the motion. "Its successful passing by the Dail will depend in no small measure on whether belated positive comments from the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, allied to existing Progressive Democrats policy support for PFP, will translate into votes . . .
"Recent comments by the former chief-of-staff of the Defence Forces indicate a strong desire on the part of those forces to develop their proud record of professional peacekeeping into an even more dynamic role in the preservation and promotion of peace," Mr Mitchell said.