Irish diplomatic and political experience in the Northern Ireland peace process is to be applied in other trouble-spots around the world through a new Conflict Resolution Unit (CRU)established in the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The setting-up of the new unit was signalled in the Government's White Paper on development aid last year.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said yesterday: "Our aim is to be the model United Nations member-state, with a focus on conflict resolution and assisting in humanitarian crises."
"The CRU is an integral part of this policy. Its job is to build up our national expertise, and to find suitable partners and locations where we can help," Mr Ahern said.
He added that this was a "long-term project" which would be developed over several decades. Mr Ahern was commenting from Washington where he was taking part in the St Patrick's week events with the Taoiseach.
The unit is located within the political division and works closely with Irish Aid, the development division, through an internal steering-group which also involves the Anglo-Irish division.
The department's annual report, published this week states: "The decision to establish the CRU stems from the positive evolution of our own peace process, the increase in our overseas development aid and our foreign policy support for multilateralism, disarmament, peacekeeping and decolonisation."
Officials from the unit have visited Norway, Sweden and Switzerland in recent months to study the operations of similar units in those countries.
The first country where the skills and expertise of the Conflict Resolution Unit will be exercised is likely to be Liberia, where Ireland already has an involvement through its troops who are on UN peacekeeping duty in the country.
Setting out the rationale for the new unit, the White Paper stated that "Ireland is well placed to play a more active role in international conflict prevention and resolution. Our own history, and the positions we have traditionally taken on issues such as decolonisation, disarmament and the Middle East, have resulted in considerable international goodwill, including throughout the developing world".
Ireland's performance in the EU presidency and as a member of the UN Security Council, along with the success of the economy, had further enhanced the country's credibility: "In addition, the very substantial success of our own peace process has added a distinctive element to the mix. Where once we were internationally known for conflict, we are now known for its absence."
