The world community reacted with strong criticism yesterday to Pakistan's detonation of five nuclear test bombs.
The Irish Government's view of deep dismay will be reinforced on Tuesday when the ambassador accredited to Ireland, Mr S.K. Dehlabi, who is stationed in Paris, is summoned to Iveagh House for a meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews.
Yesterday Mr Andrews hinted in the Dail that he was is considering "an initiative" to restore adherence to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"The Government is deeply dismayed at this latest development which, together with the earlier Indian tests, constitute a major threat to regional peace and stability, and has serious implications for the non-proliferation regime," he said.
Expressing "extreme disappointment" that intensive diplomatic efforts had been unsuccessful, he said these "blatant challenges" to nuclear non-proliferation defied and disregarded decent public opinion.
"They sap the very foundations of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, with which Ireland has singular and historic association," he added.
Similar views echoed around the world as news of the explosions, equivalent to the US bombs dropped on Hiroshima, sank in.
The Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Mr Javier Solana, strongly condemned "both India's and Pakistan's nuclear tests, which have profound implications for the security of the region and beyond that".
The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, said the EU would hold urgent talks on whether to impose financial investment sanctions against Pakistan as was done against India. In Rome Greenpeace International urged Pakistan and India to stop testing now.
Germany said it "simply could not accept" the testing and cancelled talks set for Islamabad in June. The Foreign Minister, Mr Klaus Kinkel, said: "The nuclear genie has escaped from the bottle again. [But] imposing sanctions cannot put it back in again."
The French Foreign Ministry urged Pakistan to stop any further testing. "France regrets that Pakistan did not take account of calls made to it to show restraint. It deplores and condemns these tests which run counter to world efforts to prevent proliferation and testing," a statement said.
Pakistan's action was also condemned by Russia, Australia, the Arab League, Egypt, the UN Security Council, Russia, Japan and China, Norway, Sweden and South Africa.