THE Tanaiste, Mr Spring, will sign the new international treaty banning nuclear weapons tests this morning in New York, making Ireland one of the first states to accept the hard fought agreement.
Almost immediately afterwards Mr Spring will address the UN General Assembly as President of the European Council of Ministers. This major EU foreign policy speech will cover UN reform and disarmament as well as specific regional conflicts, such as those in former Yugoslavia and the Middle East.
President Clinton, who will also address the General Assembly today, will be the first to sign the Comprehensive Test Baa Treaty (CTBT) at a ceremony in New York's UN headquarters attended by Mr Spring and other foreign ministers.
The treaty is being opened for signing despite objections to it from states such as India and Pakistan. These states say they will not agree to abandon their efforts to develop nuclear weapons - which may include nuclear tests - until states that already have such weapons make firmer commitments to disarmament.
The treaty will formally come into force, however, when 44 "nuclear capable" states have signed it. No state is compelled to abide by it until they sign.
Mr Spring yesterday led EU "Troika" meetings with President Alexander Kwasniewski of Poland, the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Qian Qichen, and the Japanese Foreign Minister, Mr Yukihiko Ikeda. He also attended a lunch hosted by the UN Secretary General, Dr Boutros Boutros Ghali.
Foreign ministers from around the world are attending the UN this week for the traditional "ministerial week" during the annual General Assembly. The formal business involves speeches to the assembly by foreign ministers and heads of state, but the real international political business is done in a dizzying series of side meetings.
Mr Spring will host more than 30 such meetings this week on behalf of the EU. They include discussions with the US Secretary of State, Mr Warren Christopher, foreign ministers from Israel, Turkey, Iran and Russia, as well as meetings with regional groups such as the Gulf Co operation Council.
Yesterday's talks with the Chinese foreign minister covered continuing EU concerns over human rights in China, as well as the development of EU/China trade links. The EU and China have agreed to hold regular discussions on human rights questions and are involved in delicate diplomacy to ensure that such concerns do not damage the possibility of greatly increased trade.
The discussions with Japan centred on the growing trade between the EU and Asian countries, as well as Japan's wish to join the "big five" (the US, Britain, France, Russia and China) as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
The Polish President is understood to have pressed a concern of his country shared by other EU applicant member states to have accession to the EU completed as quickly as possible.