First the good news: the Government expects to publish its White Paper on Foreign Policy later this, month, before the European Union's Inter Governmental Conference (IGC) begins in Turin on March 29th. However, it looks as if the paper, which has been delayed for nine months, will express a strong preference to join new European security structures rather than announce that the Government has decided to do so.
This will be an important and welcome document, which will cover the span of Irish foreign policy as it has developed in recent years. It is the first of its kind - previous White Papers from the Department of Foreign Affairs have dealt with accession to the European Communities and successive renegotiations of its treaties, rather than with the more comprehensive scope of this State's international relations and policies. The more ambitious agenda on this occasion reflects a broadening out of Ireland's foreign policy.
It also expresses Mr Dick Spring's commitment to a new agenda of accessibility and accountability as Minister for Foreign Affairs. This was the message with which he inaugurated the admirable consultation process - including a series of public seminars on the main themes of the White Paper - when it was, launched over a year ago. There were strong statements that foreign policy is public property, not restricted to a small political elite, and that it must be subject to the normal processes of democracy.
The White Paper includes chapters not only on the most obvious issues - the European Union, Ireland's United Nations policies and commitment to peace keeping, security and neutrality policies, development co operation - but also trade and economic relations, regional issues and the Irish abroad. More general principles of foreign policy as the expression of national interests and how they can be made democratically accountable are also addressed.
Some of this offends traditional principles of diplomatic orthodoxy and secrecy. it is none the worse for that, as the price that must be paid for a more legitimate and publicly understood foreign policy.
So much for the good news. The bad news is that there has been such a delay in publishing the document. The momentum and expectation built up last year have thereby been diluted, which has not been good for the public debate Mr Spring set out to stimulate. it should be led politically and trenchantly. if preoccupation with the Northern crisis has been a contributary factor this must not deflect the Government's attention from its forthcoming European responsibilities. More seriously, if the Government has not been able to decide to join the Partnership for Peace organisation associated with NATO, or to involve itself with the Western European Union's peacekeeping and humanitarian tasks neither of which transgresses military neutrality after the end of the Cold War it is a sad commentary on the lack of public debate that the White Paper was expressly designed to rectify.