The Green Party has welcomed news that Irish troops will not be sent to Lebanon in the first wave of 3,500 peacekeeping troops this month.
John Gormley, the party's chairman and foreign affairs spokesman, said the "cautious" approach adopted by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern was "both understandable and welcome".
He said: "The rules of engagement for any UN force need to be studied carefully and debated fully in the Dáil.
"The situation in southern Lebanon is still extremely volatile, and serious doubts have been expressed about the durability of the ceasefire. Under these circumstances and while there is still a lack of clarity about the rules of engagement, it makes little sense to deploy members of the defence forces."
He added: "The Minister now needs to bring what influence he has to bear on his counterparts in the EU to press for a lasting peace settlement in the region, which would involve all of the parties - including Syria and Iran - and examine aspects of the conflict such as the Golan Heights and the future of the West Bank."
Rules of engagement for the United Nations peacekeepers due to be sent to south Lebanon were still being finalised yesterday.
The timetable for the mission envisaged the "first wave" being on the ground by the end of the month ,but Ireland will not be part of this, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern told The Irish Times.
Mr Ahern said Ireland had "stepped up to the plate in the past" in south Lebanon but that current circumstances were "somewhat different".
The Minister said the proposed new force of 15,000 would be much larger than the previous presence in Lebanon and that the Irish contingent would therefore constitute a much smaller element this time.
Mr Ahern said he had alerted the Taoiseach to the possibility that the Dáil might have to be recalled to approve a Lebanon mission, but he said the Government was proceeding cautiously. "The last thing we want to be involved in is a recurrence of conflict."