The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, has given a "cautious welcome" to the decision of the Indonesian authorities to allow a United Nation peacekeeping operation in East Timor.
A spokesman for the Minister said last night that while Mr Andrews welcomed the Indonesian move, "the welcome is a cautious one until we see the fine print of what has been agreed".
Meanwhile, the Government has been attempting to dampen expectations of what could be achieved by invoking a UN convention on genocide against Indonesia.
Mr Andrews has also urged the UN to respond immediately by deploying peacekeeping troops in East Timor. "The objective has to be to make the territory peaceful and safe for the people there", the spokesman said.
The Government has indicated that if asked it would contribute soldiers to a UN mission in East Timor. However, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said the UN peacekeeping operation was likely to be drawn from countries in the Asian region. It is thought possible that some senior officers in the Army may be asked to assist the UN's East Timor operation, given the level of experience gained by military personnel in other UN peacekeeping operations.
The Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, welcomed the announcement from President B.J. Habibie but said it remained a source of regret that some members of the international community did not act with greater speed and clarity.
The situation in East Timor will be discussed today in Brussels at the General Affairs Council of European Union foreign ministers.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney General's office have been examining the possibility of the Government calling on the UN for action under its Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Mr Andrews is expected to receive an opinion on what action should be taken on the UN convention later today or tomorrow. However, a Government source said last night such a move could have huge implications and instead of helping could become a "blockage" to ending the violence in East Timor.
The UN convention has never been invoked since it came into force in 1951. The feeling in Government circles is that the UN Security Council, which operates by consensus, is unlikely to feel bound by the convention.
However, the director of Trocaire, Mr Justin Kilcullen, indicated at the weekend that an unwillingness to invoke the genocide convention may be linked to the Government's ambition of obtaining a seat on the UN Security Council.
Mr Kilcullen said: "To abandon using the convention because we will put a Security Council seat in jeopardy would be a very cynical move.
"There is little point in aspiring to high office if we will not be vigorous in implementing international law and securing the wellbeing of the most vulnerable people."