The Labour Party has appointed Mr Michael D. Higgins as spokesman on foreign affairs, replacing party President Mr Proinsias de Rossa, who asked to be relieved of the post.
According to a Labour Party spokesman, Mr de Rossa requested the change because his work as an MEP made it difficult for him to represent the party in the Dail on foreign policy matters. The requirement to attend many meetings in Brussels and Strasbourg had made it difficult for him to be in the Dail for foreign affairs questions and debates.
Mr Higgins would be seen as representing the section of the Labour Party most attached to maintaining Irish neutrality in international security matters. He is a strong advocate of the State remaining aloof from Western security arrangements and was a strong critic of NATO attacks on Yugoslavia last year during the Kosovo crisis.
Others in the party, including the leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, support greater Irish involvement in European security arrangements and were less critical of the NATO action. Mr de Rossa, while opposed to Irish involvement in Partnership for Peace or NATO, supports the development of an EU-based security entity.
The appointment is a sensitive one within the Labour Party, as there are deep divisions within the membership over the State's future role in international security. Mr Higgins's appointment signals the party leadership is not going to try to move rapidly away from its traditional position on the issue.
Dublin North West deputy Ms Roisin Shortall becomes the party's spokeswoman on education and children.